The Forgotten
by emily-oriley
Summary: While going through the wreckage of the Watchers Council, Buffy and the gang uncover The Forgotten Archive: a record of people/events completely erased from existence by the Council for fear it might harm them.  This is the story of a Forgotten Watcher.
1. Prologue

The Forgotten

A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction

Setting: The prologue and epilogue take place sometime after Season Seven of BTVS. I have yet to read Seasons Eight or Nine of BTVS or seen the last two seasons of Angel so pardon any continuity errors. The rest of the story's settings will mark itself as needed throughout the chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Buffyverse or any of the BTVS characters. I'm merely borrowing them. I promise to put them all back in their rightful places when I'm done.

Prologue

The place was, in a word, thrashed. In two words: majorly thrashed. It had seemed like such a good idea at first but after being here for the last few days –jetlag aside –it was beginning to feel like a ginormous waste of time.

But time was all they had, now that they'd destroyed the Hellmouth. Correction, now that they'd destroyed _that_ Hellmouth though everyone decided not to think about that little detail for the time being. For now it was footloose-and-fancy-free time.

Until buzz-kill Giles pointed out the importance of completing this mission ASAP. Which, okay it was important and it probably needed to get done sooner rather than later but still…lame, party of five; your table's ready.

_Crash, bang, thud_ followed by an "ow!" broke through the silence. This occurrence was so commonplace by now that it didn't even startle nor surprise anyone anymore.

"I'm alright, I'm alright! I'm good!" came the near spastic voice of the source of the constant commotion. He was always "alright" or "good" so the others no longer saw the need for the clarification.

"Maybe we should've brought Dawn instead," Kennedy muttered amused, tossing yet another stack of charred, useless papers into a large plastic trash bin.

"Be nice," Willow warned. "We're not exactly in the safest place right now –a bomb _did_ sorta go off and all. Besides, Dawn's got a lot of schoolwork to catch up on in summer school."

"You don't see me fallin' all over the place."

"And I'm sure if Xander was a limber full-fledged Slayer he wouldn't be either. Cut him a little slack. It's not like he's gonna accidentally-"

Her words were interrupted by yet another series of loud crashes.

"Uh…" came Xander's uncertain voice. "Should this stuff be moving?"

Kennedy and Willow glanced up at each other before rushing off to help.

Deeper inside the ruins that had once served as headquarters for the Watchers Council, Buffy and Giles were sorting through thick volumes and ancient weapons for anything salvageable. For the weapons, Buffy would test them out, see if they held up, and placed the ones that did carefully in padded shipping crates. It was reminiscent of how her mom used to pack up fragile pieces for her art gallery before she'd died.

She'd been a little distracted thinking about her mom when she whacked a support beam with a double-bladed ax. The larger blade shattered on impact and the smaller blade shot off into the air.

"Oh, Giles, look-!"

The blade embedded itself into the wall about a foot away from her ex-Watcher's head. He looked at the blade then cast a particularly reproachful look at his former Slayer.

"Oops?" she offered, making it a question.

"Perhaps we should set the weapons aside for the time being?" he suggested, gingerly yanking the blade out and tossing it onto Buffy's rejection pile. "I could use your help over here anyway."

She dropped the broken handle into the same pile then moved toward Giles. "This is the last room, right? I mean there aren't any, like, secret bookcase-rotating hidden passageways or anything like that, right?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Though to be fair I haven't been back here in quite some time." He grunted as he shoved a heavy oak desk out of his way.

"Good. I wanna get back home. I don't like leaving Dawn alone for so long." Though technically she knew Dawn was perfectly safe with Vi, the big sister in her couldn't help but worry.

"Plus I promised Angel I'd meet up with those mystery guests he's sending my way." She lifted the same oak desk one handed and tossed it lightly to the side with little effort.

"And he didn't mention who they were or why they're coming?"

She shrugged. "Nope, just that they really wanna meet me. It's weird –it's almost like he's reverting back to his old cryptic-guy ways."

Giles regarded her kindly. "You've heard those rumors about him, haven't you?"

Buffy said nothing for a few moments. "I trust him, Giles. I'm not gonna let some rumor that he's gone all Darth Vader on us change what I know about him. Not until I see for myself."

Giles nodded. "Fair enough."

They worked their way silently together, moving broken furniture and large pieces of plaster out of their way. This was the main council room where meetings took place and the most important archives were kept –mostly dealing with information about the Slayers. Real for-your-eyes-only stuff that had been kept under literal and mystical lock and key.

That is until said lock and key got blown to smithereens by the Bringers a few months ago. Now it was pretty much public domain to anyone willing to riffle through the wreckage for four and a half days straight.

A loud creak followed by an equally loud groaning caught the Slayer and Watcher's attention. Both tensed, looking for the source of the noise. To be honest, they all had a bet going to see how long this place would hold up before finally falling apart. So far Buffy and Xander were out of the running, both insisting it wouldn't last more than a day, although Xander insists that Willow was cheating, using her magics to keep the place up so she'd win. Willow was insulted by his accusations but never really denied them either.

"Don't move," Giles cautioned Buffy in a stage whisper. "It might just be the building settling around us."

But Buffy's sensitive eyes had caught sight of a large crack in the roof's foundation slowly getting bigger and bigger as it crawled over to a huge iron and crystal chandelier miraculously still hanging on for dear life.

Though not for long…

"Sorry, gotta veto that idea!"

Hooking her fingers into the older man's collar, Buffy threw her body back hard, dragging Giles along for the ride. They landed atop a metal filing cabinet with Buffy taking most of the brunt, crumpling it. Overhead, the chandelier crashed to the ground with a savage tremor, shaking the building's remains. The drop zone was exactly where Buffy and Giles had been standing seconds ago.

"Are you all right?" Giles asked, rolling over onto his feet before lowering a hand to help her up.

"Peachy," Buffy groaned, accepting his offer. "Luckily my spine broke my fall. And the cabinet, apparently," she added, surveying the damage. "Hope there wasn't anything important in there."

"Buffy! Giles!"

Willow, Xander and Kennedy scrambled through the entrance, faces all identical expressions of worry.

"You guys okay?" Xander asked.

"Still breathing," Buffy assured them, dusting off the seat of her pants. "Though my dry cleaner's bill just about doubled."

"Now see most people in your position would be grateful just to be alive but not our Miss Glass-Half-Empty Summers, oh no."

"My God… it can't be…"

Everyone turned to Giles. His eyes were focused on the massive fissure the falling chandelier had created. Beyond the split wall was what appeared to be an old stoned archway. Carved into the archway in thick bold letters was the world EFFLUO.

"Huh, I guess there really is a secret behind-the-bookcase room thingy," Buffy observed. "Just minus the bookcase part."

"'_Effluo_'? 'Forgotten'?" Willow read, looking to Giles for clarification.

But Giles wasn't paying attention to the others. He was already making his way across the debris and through the giant crack. After a quick glance amongst each other, the group all followed after him.

Past the arch was a massive chamber. There were wooden crates stacked floor to ceiling with more Latin words painted on the sides. Beside those were older metal filing cabinets either two feet wide or eight feet tall and newer sleeker files made from chrome and oak.

"Can you say _Raiders of the Lost Ark_?" Kennedy said, turning a full three-sixty to take it all in.

"Oh great," Xander groaned. "More work. Way to go, Buff," he threw at the blond Slayer.

"Hey, I didn't do this!" she defended. "This was just _done_! Blame shoddy English workmanship."

"Giles, what is all this?" Willow asked a little awestruck.

Once again it seemed their mentor didn't even notice their presence around him. "I can't believe…never in my wildest…it's real…it actually exists…"

"Uh, Giles?" Buffy prompted, stepping in front of her distracted Watcher. "Sharing is caring."

"Yeah, for those of us who do not possess awesome Professor Xavier style abilities, would ya care to enlighten us?" Xander asked.

It took Giles a few more moments before he was able to compose himself long enough to explain. "This is the archive of the Forgotten. It houses all the dark secrets of the Council that no man was ever meant to see. It was always sort of a myth –a warning to pass down from the older Watchers to the new ones. Hazing in a sense. None of us actually believed in it."

"So we basically just found the Watcher Council's dirty laundry?" Buffy asked, not the least bit impressed.

"Not at all." He turned to face the others, expression deathly serious. "To be Forgotten means precisely that. You are erased from all records in existence –not only here among the Council but in the entire world, mystical or otherwise. Birth records, medical histories…everything. You essentially cease to be."

Okay now that got everyone's attention.

"Can they do that?" Willow asked.

"Again, none of us really believed such a thing existed. It seemed unfathomable to us. Imagine it…what could anyone possibly do to merit such wrath? To be thoroughly expunged from the world?"

He gestured around him with a hand. "These are secrets that the Council believed would harm them. So much so that they felt it necessary to completely eradicate that person or event in question to ensure the secret never got out."

"So I guess it's safe to say none of us have made the list," Xander piped up. "'Cause, check it. Here we be."

"Is it weird to feel kinda honored if I did end up in this archive?" Kennedy said, running a finger across the smooth surface of a random cabinet. "I mean I've got no real love for the Council –or hate for that matter –but I think it'd be kinda cool to think I got under someone's skin so bad they wanna _erase_ me."

"Well, we all saw this a bit differently," Giles said, pulling open the drawer and riffling through the many files inside. "It was told to us as a warning. To be Forgotten was the ultimate shame. There was no greater humiliation for you."

"But I thought you said everybody forgets you," Xander pointed out. "How can you be humiliated and all that if nobody knows who you are or what you've done?"

"Because you will know. The Forgotten and those involved in whatever it is that is to be Forgotten still retain their memories, in most cases."

"Why go through all the trouble?" Kennedy asked, practically. "Why not just kill them?"

"Punishment. Having all of your loved ones instantly forgetting you in the blink of an eye and losing everything you hold dear? Can you imagine a worse fate?"

Kennedy processed that, unconsciously moving closer to Willow as the young Wicca began pulling files out and sifting through the pages.

Meanwhile, Buffy was working her way through an ancient chest –having torn the lid off when it wouldn't open for her –pulling out slabs of rock.

"Giles," she called. "Is this what I think it is?"

Giles came up beside her and peered over her shoulder at the tablet in her hands. It was a crude caveman-style drawing of what looked like a girl being offered to a monster. Below the picture were random symbols that might have been words.

"This is the birth of the Slayer, isn't it?" she asked. "This is exactly what I saw a few months ago –what those weird dudes did way back when to create the first Slayer."

"That is certainly something the Watchers wouldn't want getting out to their Slayers," he said, taking the tablet carefully in his hands, running his fingers over the picture.

"Whoa, check this out," Willow suddenly said, holding a yellowed stack of pages to her nose. The others gathered around her except for Buffy who moved further down the rows of files. "Back in 1909, a Japanese Watcher named Zikomo –after losing his Slayer nine years prior –was caught divulging trade secrets to a vampire who eventually killed him. It was believed he had actually _trained_ this vampire in the ways of the Slayer in the years leading up to his untimely demise."

"That would certain ruffle some Watcher feathers," Kennedy said. "No wonder the guy wound up in here. Traitor."

"What about this?"

They all turned as Buffy came up holding a particularly thick bundle of folders including several leather journals. "There's information here about the Slayer that came right after Nikki Woods and the Slayer that came after her.

"This is weird," Buffy mused, reading further. "From 1977 to 1991 there are only records of these two Slayers. The first, Isabel, died in 1979 –two years after she was called –and the other, Natalie, died in 1991."

"1991?" Willow did the math in her head without missing a beat. "That's twelve years later."

"I thought Slayers usually didn't last that long," Xander said soberly. "Present company excluded," he added with a nod to Buffy.

She met Giles's eyes. "If these Slayers were Forgotten then that means they wouldn't show up in regular records and the Watchers' Diaries and stuff. Didn't anybody notice a fourteen year gap in Slayers?"

He frowned. "Well over the years there have been numerous accidents and the like here. This isn't the original location for the Council either. It's probable that some records could be lost though after finding all this," he gestured around them "it's more likely those were all simple excuses."

"Wow," Xander mused, mostly to himself. "If defecting from the Watchers and going all bat-crazy with killing people doesn't get you Forgotten I wonder what _those_ girls did."

"It certainly begs the question," Giles agreed.

"Only one way to find out."

Buffy settled herself down on the floor, picked up what appeared to be the first journal and began to read.


	2. October 1977

Part One: The Slayer

Chapter One: October 1977

"Are you nervous?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"…yes."

"There's no need to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous."

"Fair enough. I'm only telling you there's no need. You've already exceeded everyone's expectations, which –given your family history –were already set exceptionally high. You'll do great."

_Ding._

The elevator doors parted and the two men stepped off, turning right and proceeding down the hallway. Three figures standing together sipping from steaming mugs halted their conversation as they approached.

"Philip, good morning," one greeted the older of the two.

"Good Morning, Collin. Marge, Stephen." He nodded in acknowledgement to the others.

Collins regarded the younger man. "Is this he?" he asked Phillip.

"Ah, yes, allow me to present Darwin Holtz. Our latest addition."

Collins reached out and took Darwin's hand. "It's an honor to meet you, son. Heard so much about you. Knew your mum and dad way back when. Terrible tragedy what happened to them, dreadful. They were two of the best Watchers we've ever had. Of course you would know better than anyone else, seeing as you're a Holtz, after all."

"Holtz?" Stephen frowned. "No relation to that famous demon hunter Daniel Holtz?"

"His many times great grand nephew, actually," Philip supplied before Darwin had a chance to speak.

"No wonder you're getting your very own Slayer hot off presses as you are. How old are you, anyway?" Marge asked.

"Eighteen, ma'am."

She shook her head. "Ah, so young. Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Of course he can!" Collin interjected, aghast. "There's never been a greater family of Watchers other than the Holtz's. I'm telling you all, this young lad here is destined for greatness."

Darwin felt his palms start to sweat but kept his expression calm and blank. If he hadn't been nervous before Collin had certainly done a brilliant job ensuring his apprehension now.

"If you'll please excuse us, gentleman and lady, we really must be on our way," Philip said, already beginning to lead Darwin away from the group. "This young man is on his way to meet his Slayer. Mustn't be late."

Actually, he and Philip were early for their meeting. But Philip was exceptional at picking up on Darwin's moods and could sense his growing anxiety right away. Then again, that wasn't unusual seeing as how Philip had been taking care of Darwin personally since his parents were both killed more than nine years ago.

Together, Philip and Darwin made their way around the corner and into an empty conference room where they would wait until the Slayer arrived.

Darwin dropped into a chair, lightly tugging at the knot in his tie to loosen it just a bit. It was suddenly very suffocating in here.

"Are you all right?" Philip asked kindly.

"I'm fine," Darwin insisted because he _was_ fine. He refused to be anything less than fine. "Tell me about this Slayer. Has she been properly trained already?"

"Yes. The Watchers found her very early on –she was only just Called after the American Slayer died last month. She's been in training as a Potential since age thirteen, I believe."

Darwin frowned. "If she's already got a Watcher assigned to her why have I been summoned?"

"Because her Watcher was killed a few days ago."

"Vampires?"

Philip shook his head, running a hand through his slightly graying hair. "Demon. We're not sure what kind. The Slayer barely managed to escape while she could."

He swallowed the thick lump that had grown in his throat. That was a bit too close to the story Philip had given him about his own parents' demise. "It's very fortunate she was able to find the Council again before something dreadful happened to her."

Philip said nothing, moving to the back of the room and filling a glass of water.

There came a knock at the door then. Darwin rose to his feet in an instant, standing at full attention. Philip, much more relaxed, came to stand by his side.

"Come in," Philip called.

The door opened. A man and women stepped inside. The women was older, at least a foot shorter than Darwin himself and the man was stocky with a mustache and glasses. Darwin knew these were members of the Higher Council –the heads of the Watchers –though he did not know them by name.

"You must be Mr. Holtz," the woman said with a warm smile. She held out her hand to Darwin who shook it gently. "I'm Agatha Giles. And this is Roland Donald."

"Pleased to meet you," he said as she shook Roland's hand as well.

"Good to see you, Philip," she said, smiling at him.

"Good Morning, Agatha, Roland," Philip said. Philip also sat on the Higher Council so naturally he was already good friends with the two newcomers.

"We've just received word that the Slayer has arrived. They are escorting her here as we speak."

"And how is our young miss Slayer fairing?" Philip asked conversationally.

"She's a bit rattled by her recent experience but I'm sure she'll bounce back," Roland supplied. "She is a Slayer after all."

"Begging your pardon," Darwin suddenly spoke up, unable to contain himself. "But were they ever able to locate the demon that killed her Watcher?"

Agatha drew in a long breath. "I'm afraid not and chances are high that we probably won't. There really much left by the time our men got there."

Philip reached out and put a hand on Darwin's shoulder. Once again his uncanny ability to tune in to Darwin's emotional state must've alerted him.

Before more could be said on the matter, there was a second knock on the door.

"Ah, that'll be her, then," Roland announced, taking a moment to adjust his glasses before calling to the door, "Come in, please."

Darwin had, naturally, been expecting to see a young girl enter and was surprised to see a group of men pile into the room instead. He could barely make out the presence of a girl immersed within the severe looking group.

The men escorting the girl were not Watchers, at least none that Darwin was familiar with. They were all black and had dark, emotionless eyes and hard expressions. He had, of course, heard tale of the Council's Enforcers –mercenaries for hire that take care of the Watchers' "dirty work" –but never in his life had he imagined ever coming face to face with them. Especially not on his first day on the job.

Why were they escorting a Slayer?

"Right on time," Agatha said pleasantly though her smile seemed a bit forced. "We can't thank you enough for your assistance, gentlemen."

"No' at all, ma'am," the apparent leader said, giving more of a sneer than an actual smile. "It was our pleasure."

There was a definite wrongness about this group that made Darwin extremely uncomfortable. From the looks of his companions, the feeling was not his alone.

"Well, gentleman, that'll be all," Roland said a bit dismissively. "Wait downstairs and we'll sort out the final arrangements."

The leader did not take kindly to Roland's tone but didn't push it. Instead, he gave another awful smile, bowed his head in a mocking gesture and backed out of the room, never taking his eyes from the Watchers. Those eyes were going to haunt Darwin's dreams tonight.

One by one the men in black left the room until only the Slayer remained, her back turned to them as she watched them leave. From the set of her shoulders, she was just as joyful to be rid of these brutes as the rest of them.

"And here we are at last," Agatha announced, regaining her composure once the door had finally clicked shut. "Mr. Holtz, allow me to present to you, Isabel Rios. Your Slayer."

At the sound of her name, the girl turned to face them.

Thick dark hair fell in waves down past her shoulders, framing her striking face. Like any Slayer would be, her body was toned and muscular, but not in an overly dramatic sense as to betray her awesome strength. She could just as easily play victim as well as predator.

Her skin was the color of dark, golden honey and her big, brown eyes were so dark one could hardly differentiate between the iris and the pupil. Those eyes had a fierceness to them that spoke volumes of the horrors she'd faced.

The expression she was showing the four Watchers was one of hostility and defiance. A clear challenge not to be trifled with or underestimated. Yes she was young but she was a definite force to be reckoned with.

Never in all his eighteen years of life had Darwin ever seen a more beautiful creature.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Holtz?" Agatha asked.

Darwin started slightly, noticing for the first time that everyone was staring at him curiously. Embarrassment filled his face; he could only imagine what he must've looked like, staring at Isabel like a child catching his first glimpse of Santa Claus.

_Good show, Darwin_, he chided himself. _Perfect first impression, you brainless nitwit. _

Clearing his throat, Darwin forced himself to step forward and offered a hand to Isabel. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss. Rios. I am Darwin Holtz –I'll be continuing with your training as your new official Watcher. I'm looking forward to working with you."

In truth, Darwin had practiced this speech many times in solitude. And after his bumbling start, he was grateful for the decision. He'd sounded sure, confident. Every bit the next generation of Holtz family Watchers he was expected to be.

Isabel looked Darwin over from head to toe, crossing her arms, and ignored the offered hand. "Where is my room?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked 'where is my room'?" She had a slight Spanish accent that was both exotic and alluring. Even dripping with acid as it was. "I hope you do not expect me to get right back on a plane so soon after just arriving. I'm not a machine –I do require food and rest. I hope you will remember this, Mr. Holtz."

She seemed to take great care in pronouncing his name or perhaps Darwin was simply reading too much into it. He was still slightly taken aback by the abruptness and abrasiveness of this Slayer. They'd hardly even met and it seemed like he was this girl's hated enemy.

Stranger still was how much that thought upset him.

"We have your accommodations prepared, Miss. Rios," Roland chimed in, gesturing a hand toward the door. "If you'll come with me."

She nodded to Roland then threw one more sinister glare in Darwin's direction before exiting the conference room.

"Here is your assignment, Mr. Holtz," Agatha's voice roused Darwin from his thoughts just in time to accept a manila envelope. "You'll be leaving for Munich early tomorrow morning to flush out a nest of vampires that've been causing trouble for our German comrades. I suggest you read through this very carefully then get an early night in."

She grasped Darwin's hand again, offering a soft smile. "Good luck, son."

Darwin could only nod, his thoughts still clouded by Isabel Rios and her sulfurous state. Philip and Agatha exchanged cheerful goodbyes before she left as well. After she'd gone, Philip gave Darwin a friendly clap on the back.

"See? Nothing to be nervous about."


	3. February 1978

They surrounded her, four to one. Her only weapon: a long wooden staff with both ends whittled into points.

Isabel moved like water –swift and powerful –as she moved around the cemetery, never giving the vampires attacking her a chance to swarm on her. She brought her staff down upon the neck of one vampire, stunning it, and whipped the other end into the face of a second, buying her another few seconds to avoid the clutches of a much larger vampire that had worked its way to her back.

It was moments like these that gave Darwin the most anxiety. It was when his body and soul seemed to be in constant turmoil. The Watcher in him was telling him all was going according to plan while the man inside him longed to rush to the young girl's aid.

_Whoosh!_

One vampire had been staked –he hadn't been paying attention. Stupid of him.

Isabel stuck the end of the staff into the shoulder of another vampire –it had anticipated her move and managed to avoid a deadly strike to its heart. Using all her strength, she flung the impaled vampire into another oncoming one. The two collided solidly, landing in a jumbled heap on top of a gravestone, shattering it.

The larger vampire was back and actually managed to grab hold of Isabel's staff. They were too close together for her to get a decent kick in and she dared not release the weapon.

The other two vampires were back on their feet, slipping only slightly against the snowy grass beneath. Growling, they quickly began to make their way back to the fight.

In the end, the man won out; Darwin could not "watch" anymore.

He reared back and hurled a snowball at the vampires. It struck one on the back of its neck, splattering the other vampire in a ricochet.

Both vampires simply stared down at the remnants of snow before slowly turning around, identical looks of awe and confusion on their deformed faces. Had they honestly been assaulted by a _snowball_ of all things –those expressions wondered.

Darwin offered a shrug and a smile at their befuddled expressions, holding up a second snowball.

The vampires exchanged some amused words in Russian then gestured for Darwin to go ahead and throw the ball. One vampire even pointed to its own face, daring him to hit it.

Precisely what Darwin wanted.

Taking great aim, Darwin pulled back and threw a perfect pitch. The ball hit the mark dead on –the glass vial full of holy water hidden in the icy depths shattered on impact, setting the vampire's face ablaze almost instantly.

The vampire shrieked in pain, flailing about as flames licked their way from his face to his neck and shoulders. Evidentially, this vampire couldn't seem to recall that snow and ice make an excellent fire retardant, fluttering about as he was. Therefore, Darwin had plenty of time to draw the crossbow hanging at his side and shoot a bow straight into its undead heart.

The second vampire hurled what Darwin could only guess were some colorful adjectives at him before charging with a demonic snarl for the Watcher. There was no time to reload, but Darwin hadn't expected there to be. Instead, he let the crossbow drop to his side again and braced himself for the vampire's approach.

As was standard for all Watchers, Darwin had had extensive training in basic hand-to-hand combat as well as advance weapons handling. However, his parents had thought it best to expand his knowledge all the more so that now, as a man, he had all but mastered several different martial arts styling.

Of course, as a human battling a vampire, no matter how skillful one can be, sometimes martial arts can fail. But Darwin had spent most of his time learning Judo –a styling specifically designed for those taking on opponents bigger and stronger than themselves. In fact, to quote a clique, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Charging blindly like most vampires were accustomed to, the creature barreled down on Darwin who waited until the right moment before acting. He took hold of the vampire's outstretched arm and, using its own momentum, hurled the thing over his shoulder and into a nearby tree.

Now that he had a moment, Darwin proceeded to reload the crossbow to finish off the vampire. He barely got the bow positioned before the vampire was upon him again, having recovered far more quickly than Darwin had anticipated. It slapped the crossbow hard enough to splinter the wooden frame then hurled Darwin through the air. He landed on the ground hard enough to rattle his teeth and knock the wind out of him.

Once again the vampire was on him, not giving the winded Watcher a chance to recover. It wrapped clawed hands around Darwin's throat and squeezed, cutting off what little air he'd managed to take in. Snarling more threats and whatnot in Russian, the demon slowly lowered its fangs toward Darwin's face.

Suddenly, it exploded. Ash rained down on Darwin; he breathed it in involuntarily while trying to catch his breath making him gag and cough.

"Are you always this foolish, Mr. Holtz?"

Through his coughing fit, Darwin watched Isabel as she whipped her staff clean of blood and ash.

"Foolish?" he demanded when he finally managed to stop coughing. "I'd call it saving your life."

"Saving _my_ life? It did not look that way from this viewpoint."

"You were overwhelmed by their numbers –you should've asked for my help in the beginning." His tone was accusatory and defensive and he hated himself for it. But it was always difficult to act accordingly when Isabel started with that hostile way of hers.

"I am the Slayer and you are a Watcher. You should stick to what you're good at, _watching_."

Anger drew Darwin to his feet. "Yes I am your Watcher, Miss. Rios, and that demands that you show me some respect."

Isabel narrowed her dark-as-night eyes at him. "You are the cowardly hyena that waits in the shadows until the predators have gone to pick at the bones. If you and your other cowardly Watchers were anything more then you wouldn't need to send children to their doom to fight _your_ fight." She spat at Darwin's feet for emphasis.

It was always the same with her. Isabel despised the Watchers with a deeply ingrained hatred that Darwin could not understand. After all, if they hadn't taken her in three years ago, she would not be as skilled a warrior as she was now. Oftentimes he'd wanted to simply ask her why she hated them so much but believed that might lead to far more trouble.

Even though he'd wanted to keep arguing, Darwin couldn't help but notice how violently Isabel was beginning to shiver. Winter in Russia was always unforgivable and, since the vampires had shredded her wool-lined jacket at the beginning of the fight, not even her Slayer strength was enough to keep her warm.

Darwin quickly shed his outer jacket and held it out to her. "Take it."

"I don't need anything from you," was her immediate response. It probably would've been a more powerful statement had she not been shivering so dramatically.

"Take it," he said more sternly. "You'll catch your death of a cold out here like this."

"I told you-"

He interrupted her. "Right now –with all that running about you've done –the sweat on your body has already started to form into ice. Do you really want to be the first Slayer in history to die of hypothermia?"

What was that phrase? If looks could kill…

Growling something in Spanish, Isabel snatched the coat out of Darwin's hands and slipped her slender arms through the sleeves. Once she was properly buttoned up, she whirled around and proceeded out of the cemetery gates with Darwin trailing behind.

The tiny inn where they were staying was only a bit down the street. And with the sun coming up in a couple hours, there was really no further point in staying out. Besides, that had been the only nest in the town. Once he telephoned his report to the Council they'd probably be on the move before nightfall.

Isabel entered her room without a second glance back at Darwin, slamming the door on her way in. With a heavy sigh, Darwin went into his own room next to hers and closed the door, making a mental note to add something a little extra to the bill for Isabel's rude behavior given the early hour.

Switching on the small kerosene lamp, Darwin sat down at the small rickety desk and opened his diary. Though his body was exhausted beyond belief, his mind simply could not be quieted and he hoped maybe he could finally get some writing done.

It had been nearly six months since he had been assigned Isabel and yet he hadn't been able to write a single line. It wasn't that he was incapable of chronicling the events of what occurred during their travels –no, that was the easy part.

But he had read other Watchers' diaries from the past, even those who never had been assigned a Slayer. Each one had been so personal, nearly private. Filled not only with essential information but the Watcher's own individual thoughts and feelings.

Because of this, Darwin simply could not find the ability to write.

Instead, like every night, he closed the empty book and moved over to his bed. Careful not to make a sound, he knelt onto the lumpy mattress and pressed the side of his face against the wall, listening hard.

Of course he'd discovered this on accident –he was not prone to spying of any sort –but now that the knowledge was there, he found he could not help himself anymore.

On the other side of the wall, quiet as a mouse, Isabel was praying. Since Spanish was one of the few languages his parents had not infused him with, it had taken several longs weeks before he recognized The Lord's Prayer.

After the quiet "amen", Darwin heard the sound of Isabel crawling into bed. Then there came the soft sobs. Yes, Isabel, the brass, bold Slayer, cried herself to sleep every single night. If he hadn't heard it so many times before these past few months, there's no way Darwin would ever had believed it.

It pained him to hear it. To know that she was lying there, curled up, alone and suffering and having absolutely no idea why. What made her weep so?

This was the reason he could not write in his diary. He knew these feelings welling up inside of him were wrong and improper. Not the sorts of things a Watcher should have.

And yet, knowing all this, he could not help but long to comfort the poor girl.

Damn it all, he shouldn't be here; he was severely compromised. No, the proper thing to do would've been to submit his resignation the very instant he realized he found this Slayer beautiful. But he couldn't do that, could he? Not after all that boasting about his great family name. More importantly, he didn't want to disappoint his parents, rest their souls.

Still, Darwin couldn't help but wonder for about the millionth time what would happen to him if Isabel should die.

With this in his mind, he slept the next few hours restlessly and tormented by hellish nightmares. His alarm woke him at eleven –making it eight o'clock in London –and he went downstairs to the lobby to make his phone call to Council headquarters.

The phone rang maybe twice before Philip answered. "Good morning, Darwin. Or is it afternoon there? I can never remember the time difference."

"Hullo, Philip. I've called to give my progress report."

"Very well, let's have it, then."

He gave Philip all the gory details of the successful hunt the previous night.

"Well done, Darwin," Philip praised. "My god, that's five nests decimated now. You're really on a roll, aren't you?"

"Thank you. Are there any new orders?"

"Not at the moment, no. We've got a few things going on here that need our immediate attention and I'm afraid we haven't had the time to convene on this quite yet."

"Anything serious?"

"You needn't concern yourself with this. Just you and that Slayer of yours keep up the good work. She's certainly a fireball, that one, yes?"

Darwin had to clear a lump from his throat. "Yes, quite."

Philip was quiet on the line for a moment. "Is something the matter, Darwin?"

Here was his chance to come clean, to right the wrong he'd committed these past six months. Darwin was well aware of the fact that he should not be this girl's Watcher and now he had been given an out.

An out he still could not take.

"I did have some concerns… about Miss. Rios."

"Yes?"

Darwin hesitated. "You told me she came to the Watchers three years ago –when she was thirteen, yes? I was wondering if you could give me a bit more details of that meeting."

"…And why do you wish to know?"

He frowned, actually pulling the receiver from his ear and stared at it, as though it had been the cause of the confusion. Philip had always been straight with Darwin no matter what he'd asked. Even when he'd requested all the grisly details of his parents' death, Philip had not hesitated. Why now?

"There seems to be a bit of a trust issue between us," Darwin explained truthfully. "I thought, perhaps if I understood more of her past dealings with her previous Watcher maybe I could better comprehend why she is the way she is. Perhaps even improve on our relationship."

"Is she disobeying orders?"

The question caught Darwin a bit off guard. "No."

"Has she shown signs of mutiny or attempted to leave without you?"

"No, not at all."

"Well, then, what's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Darwin repeated, aghast. "Well, for starters, she hates me –"

"And why should that matter?" Philip snapped, interrupting him. "So long as she's doing her duty and obeying her commands, why does it matter whether she likes you or not? You're not there to befriend her; you're there to make sure she does what she's told. Now, if you're having a problem with that, then I'll help you as much as I can. If not, then might I suggest you put this out of your mind and worry about keeping yourself and your Slayer alive."

Darwin did not know what to say to that. Philip had never scolded him like this before –hell, he couldn't even recall Philip ever having raised his voice at him. He hadn't expected to be given special treatment due to his longstanding relationship with Philip, but he'd never imagined this.

"Have I made myself clear, Darwin?"

"Yes, yes you have, sir."

"Very good." Philip's voice returned to its normal good-natured tone. "We'll be in contact as soon as we pull up another assignment for you. Just sit tight until then. Good day."

Darwin hung up without saying goodbye. What had all that been about?

"Do we have a new assignment?"

He started at Isabel's presence right behind him. She was wearing a long, red coat with thick fur cuffs, her hair pulled back in a bun, leaving her face absolutely clear. Her arms were crossed and the jacket he'd loaned her last night was flopped over them.

"Or do I actually get the chance to rest for more than two minutes?" she finished, holding out his coat.

"Why do you hate me?"

Surprised at the sudden question colored Isabel's features briefly before she quickly drew up her hostile mask. "Does it bother you? I didn't realize Watchers were so sensitive."

Darwin pressed on, undeterred by her words. "Something happened when the Watchers came for you three years ago, yes? What was it? What happened?"

White-hot rage boiled beneath Isabel's skin, making her beautiful face twist into a frightful expression. "Don't act like you don't know, _Watcher_!" she hissed the title, twisting the jacket in her hands so hard stitches began popping.

"I don't –they won't tell me! Please, I only want to know the truth. Tell me, what happened?"

The anger in Isabel seemed to fade as she stared deep into his eyes. "You really don't know." It wasn't a question.

"Tell me," he nearly begged.

Right before Darwin's eyes, Isabel transformed. No longer was she the tough-as-nails Slayer he'd known her to be. Now he was staring at a sober sixteen-year-old girl, curling into herself beneath the weight she bore.

"Three years ago," she began, staring out the window at the falling snow. "I was living in my home village in South America –me and my mother and three elder sisters.

"A man came to see my mother. He told her that I was of great importance to the world, that for the sake of all mankind I needed to come with him so I could be trained to battle the forces of darkness.

"My mother refused this man, refused to let me go off and be killed far away from my family, my home. She said that if God had intended I be this warrior, then He would send her a sign. But until then, I was not going anywhere. Finally, after a long time trying to convince my mother, the man left empty-handed. Two days later, the men in black came for me and took me away in the middle of the night."

Darwin's jaw dropped open. The Enforcers, the same group of men who'd escorted Isabel to London four months ago. They'd abducted her from her home against her will and forced her to become their warrior. Even back when there was a strong chance she'd never be called, they did something so atrocious.

"That's why you cry," Darwin whispered without thinking.

Isabel's head whipped back to glower at him, a mix of embarrassment and anger coloring her tanned cheeks. "I was told that if I did not cooperate, they would burn my family's house to the ground. So I accepted the training and obeyed all their orders. And when that thing attacked my Watcher I still tried to save him even though I hated that man with ever fiber of my being and would have loved to kill him myself!"

A single tear managed to escape out of the corner of her eye and she immediately whipped it away. But Darwin had seen it and it took all his willpower not to go to her now and take her in his arms.

"But that isn't even the worst part of it," Isabel whispered, eyeing him contemptuously. "The worst part is I would have come with them if they'd only given me the choice. Unlike my mother, I understood that that man's presence _was_ the sign from God. I would have accepted my fate with dignity if they'd only asked. Instead, they just took me like I was some piece of property that can be taken. A weapon."

Darwin felt like he was going to be sick.

"So now you know, Mr. Holtz," she said. "Now you know why I hate them, all of them. And why I hate _you_."

With that, she threw his coat to the floor at his feet and ran back upstairs to her room, once again slamming the door shut. If she kept this up, they were bound to get kicked out onto the frozen streets.

It was an impossible story to believe. It went against everything he'd come to know about the Council. Kidnapping, blackmail? Were these the sorts of people Darwin's parents had died for?

More pressing, were these the sorts of people his parents _were_?

Then again, what else had he learned from the Council? They were tasked with the protection of the entire human race. That sort of thing does require sacrifice. Hence why they never hesitated when sending Slayers to their doom. It was for the greater good.

No, there was nothing good about this. They were wrong in this. Darwin refused to believe otherwise.

Running a trembling hand through his hair, Darwin took a few deep breaths then took up the receiver again and dialed.

"Ya magU vam pamOch?" a female voice asked on the line.

"Izvinite, vy gavarite pa anglIyski?" he asked in very poor Russian.

"PadazhdIte, pazhAlusta."

The phone beeped now, indicating the woman had placed him on hold. After a few moments, a heavily accented male voice came on.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Good morning, I'd like two tickets on your next flight to South America."


	4. March 1978

March 1978

"_Mama_!"

The older woman froze with the feed still in her grasp, hungry chickens clucking and ruffling feathers at her feet.

"Isabel?" she gasped; the bag of food dropped from her hands. "_Mi angelita_?"

Isabel raced down the pathway and took the woman in her arms, both crying tears of joy and speaking rapidly to each other in Spanish.

Darwin hung back, not wishing to intrude on the reunion. Seeing such happiness and contentment on Isabel's face brought on his own surge of emotions, making his heart swell in his chest. Any regrets he'd had while making the trip here were washed away completely.

"Gabriela!" Mrs. Rios called back to the house. "Marcela, Teresa! _Niñas_! _Mira_!"

Three more young women came out of the house, all racing to the mother and daughter. Each of them hugged their lost sister in turn and more happy tears were shed.

Now was probably a good time to slip away unnoticed and Darwin considered it for a moment. But no –he still needed to talk to Isabel. Explain things to her and maybe see if her family had a telephone here.

"_Señor_?"

Darwin snapped back to the present and saw Mrs. Rios standing before him, holding Isabel's hand tightly in her own, as though determined not to lose her by sheer force of will.

"You, you bring?" she asked, gesturing to the Slayer next to her then back to Darwin.

"Er, well, I…not exactly…"

"Just tell her yes," Isabel said, patting her mother's hand affectionately. "She doesn't need to know. Let her have this moment."

Darwin looked to Isabel then focused on the women in front of him. "Yes, um, _sí_."

Mrs. Rios took his face in both her hands and kissed him on the forehead. "_Gracias…muchas gracias_…"

After all three sisters hugged and thanked him in turn, Mrs. Rios took Darwin by the hand and led him back to their house. Isabel translated that he'd been invited to stay and there was no room for arguments.

The house was large and two story but very old with rain and termite damage and many holes in the roof and walls. The porch creaked uninvitingly as they all stepped aboard and the screen door was so covered in dust and grime it hardly allowed any light to pass through.

Still, it felt like a home, which was more than Darwin could say about his own home back in London. The house was warm and smelled like cornmeal. Smiling faces greeted him in dozens of framed photographs everywhere he looked.

Marcela –the youngest of Isabel's older sisters at seventeen –showed Darwin to a room where he could leave his things and wash up for supper. She spoke some English having studied at school for a couple years and expressed how grateful she was for him returning Isabel to them.

Guilt settled in the pit of Darwin's stomach. Everyone here regarded him as a savior, a hero, when in fact he was a part of the villains that had taken their precious sister away. If they knew the truth, they'd probably stone him to death. And, given how dreadful he felt about the whole thing, he might just let them.

Mealtime took place in the backyard on a long plastic table surrounded by citronella-scented candles. Other families from neighboring homes came bringing more dishes and more happy reunions with Isabel. It seemed as though the entire village had turned up to the Rios home.

Darwin sat near the chicken coop, well away from everyone else. Isabel had been good to translate most of the conversations for his benefit but eventually got swept up in it all and began losing track. So he decided to make things easier and step away, leaving her to her family and friends.

It was almost strange, watching Isabel laughing and smiling as she was. After so many glares and such aggression, seeing this side of her stirred something inside Darwin that he'd never felt before. She was so beautiful, so radiant now.

He was going to miss her terribly.

No one seemed to notice Darwin head into the house and to the room he'd been shown. From the open window, he could still hear the laughter and cheerful conversations taking place even if he couldn't understand what was being said.

Mechanically, he began to repack his belongings. Clothes and the like went into his small leather duffle. The weapons he stored in the larger canvas bag –he decided to leave them with Isabel. They'd get no use coming along with him.

A light tapping sound drew Darwin's attention. Isabel stood in the doorway holding a candle, watching him intently. The glow of the small light made her skin look more golden and warm and her brown eyes shined.

"You can't stay here," he said softly, avoiding her eyes. "You know that, yes?"

"I know. I meant what I said before; I understand that I have a sacred duty and I will perform. I just wanted to thank you –for this. It means the world to me."

She'd never spoken so kindly to him before. He couldn't help but notice how pleasing her voice sounded when it wasn't filled with menace and sarcasm.

"At least you'll be able to enjoy a few days here. I imagine it'll take them that long to find you."

Isabel tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"The other Watchers."

Comprehension dawned on her delicate face. "They do not know we are here?"

Darwin shook his head.

"But…but you told me this was our next assignment. We fought many vampires on the way here."

"A lucky coincidence, I assure you. No, I'm quite certain, if anything, they still think we're in Russia. They're probably searching for us right now, wondering where we've gone."

"I…I don't understand. If not orders, then why did we come?"

Again, he found it difficult to meet her gaze. "I lost my family too –when I was boy. If someone could give them back to me…well, there's little I wouldn't give to see them again."

Tears shinned behind Isabel's eyes, making her blink rapidly. "When they realize what you have done…"

"…I will be appropriately punished," he supplied for her, masking his distress easily. This was nothing new. He understood unequivocally the consequences of his actions and accepted them. His only regret in all this was the shame he was about to bring to his family's name. However, if such a family advocated abducting young girls from their homes, then perhaps _they_ were the ones who were shameful.

She set the candle down on the nightstand behind Darwin and faced him, that familiar determined look on her face revived. "Then we lie."

He frowned down at her. "What?"

"We lie –we tell them that I took off on my own and came here alone. You'll say you found me here and bring me back. You might still get into trouble for loosing sight of me but at least the punishment will be less severe then this."

"Miss. Rios –"

But she wasn't finished. "Or we tell them we learned of a particularly large nest of vampires in the area and that's why we came. That's at least partially true. Or –"

"Isabel!"

It was the first time he'd addressed her by her first name. It felt good, rolling off his tongue –too good. A clear reminder of why he did this in the first place.

"My time with you is at its end," he told her. "As I stand now, I am no longer fit to be your Watcher."

She peered up at him. "Why?"

_Because you mean too much to me. Because I cannot knowingly and willingly send you into battle anymore. Because I don't want to have to watch you die. _

It would do neither of them any good for Darwin to say these things aloud, that's what he believed. Therefore, he buried his emotions as best as he could and spoke with partial honesty.

"I've become too emotionally involved with you. This," he gestured to the house around them "is proof of that. As long as I care you for as much as I do, I will only add to your burden. You need someone who can be objective –who can properly guide you through all the dangers you will no doubt face. And I… I can't do that. I'm sorry."

He couldn't take her intense gaze any longer and turned his back on her, busying himself with his bags. "Not to worry. They'll assign you someone new. Someone far more capable than myself."

Zipping up the bag, he grasped it by the handle and turned back around to face her for the last time. "You'll see, everything will work out in the –"

Isabel was right in front of him, a mere breath away. She took his face in both her hands and, rising up on her toes, gently pressed her lips against his. Darwin froze beneath her touch, his bag slipping from suddenly lifeless fingers.

She pulled back enough to stare deep into his eyes, not removing her hands. There was a teasing gleam in her shimmering eyes. "Was it really that necessary to use so many words when you only needed three?"

At the moment, Darwin was having a difficult time thinking of _any_ words in his flummoxed state. However, when she moved to kiss him again, he did not pull away. He closed his eyes and gave into the sensation of her mouth against his.

Times such as this, one usually finds oneself at odds. For instance, the brain will war with the heart, knowing what is happening is wrong and that it needs to cease right now. But the heart, un-ruled as it is by facts and logistics, will oftentimes battle against the mind, believing what is happening is _right_.

Darwin felt no such thing. For the first time, his mind and heart were both whispering the same word: Isabel. Even as he drew his arms around her, even as she pulled him with her to the bed behind them, he could find no place inside him that did not want this to happen, did not need this.

And in the harsh light of day the next morning, there was still no regret. Darwin awoke with Isabel lying against him –the absolute worst sin any Watcher could possibly make –and he could not feel anything other than supreme bliss.

But this still changed nothing. As wonderful as this moment was, it would be the first and last. He still had to leave.

Carefully, he slipped out of bed so as not to wake the sleeping girl and pulled his clothes on. Judging by the tiny glimmer of light coming in through the window and the silence throughout the house, Darwin placed the time of day at just barely after sunrise. He'd be able to sneak out, find a phone, and procure himself a one-way ticket back to London, his final destination in more ways than one.

"Don't go."

He turned back around, in the middle of slipping his arm through the sleeve of his shirt. Isabel was sitting up, keeping the blanket wrapped modestly around her body.

"I don't want you to leave."

"I have to," he told her solemnly. "I told you last night –"

"Last night," she interrupted gently, getting to her feet and crossing over to him. "You told me you loved me. Isn't that reason enough to stay?"

"Normally, yes, but this isn't a normal relationship. I'm supposed to be your teacher, your mentor. Becoming emotionally attached to a Slayer is absolutely forbidden according to Council protocol."

There was a flash of anger on Isabel's expression. "Sometimes the Watcher's protocol is wrong."

Darwin had nothing to say about that. Considering where they were right now, he couldn't very well deny that he agreed with her.

"Besides," she went on in a softer tone. "There is no one else I would rather have at my side then you. I trust you and I always have, even though I tried not to in the beginning. You've never seen me as just a killing machine like the others. You see me as I am: a girl. And I…"

A few tears leaked from her eyes and she made no move to whip them clean. "I need that reminder. That I am human and I'm not just a killer, like the monsters I fight."

This was why she prayed, Darwin realized. She was afraid of losing herself.

All his life, Darwin had been taught by other Watchers that for a Slayer to be most effective they must cut ties with all outside relations so as not to become distracted or baited. To essentially –as Isabel put it –become machines.

A Slayer must let go of all emotions; emotions will make her lose focus. Emotions will get her killed.

But what if that sort of thinking was the true reason no Slayer has ever survived more than five years after being Chosen? What if the moment of their death is the moment they lose the last of their humanity and that's why they fall?

Or worse, what if they choose to die just to retain that shred of humanity they have left?

Isabel touched Darwin's face with her hand, rousing him from his terrible thoughts.

"I love you, Darwin," she murmured to him. "Please stay with me."

In the end, all those thoughts, all those rationalizations meant nothing. All it took was those three words from Isabel's lips and he would stay.

Once more, the Watcher and the Slayer embraced.


	5. July 1978

July 1978

No way out.

Darwin's back connected with the ally wall further cementing the doomed feeling building in the pit of his stomach. He dropped the broken –and therefore useless –sword to the ground as he stared at the exceptionally large demon slowly stalk toward him.

"My what big teeth you have…" He swallowed, pressing further into the wall.

The hulking demon shoved a large trash bin out of its way with hardly any effort at all. It crashed against the other end of the ally way.

"Um, darling?" Darwin called in a shaky voice, looking around for something to use as a weapon. "Anytime you wish to step in would be of great appreciation."

Saliva oozed out from the rows and rows of sharp teeth as the creature reached forward with a scaly, clawed hand, aiming for Darwin's throat.

Before it could grasp the frightened Watcher, Isabel dropped from the sky, landing solidly on the demon's back. It stumbled but did not fall beneath the additional weight.

Hurriedly Darwin scuttled away just in time to narrowly avoid being crushed as the creature attempted to knock Isabel off by ramming into the brick wall.

Unharmed, Isabel raised a long curved ruby dagger and plunged it into the back of its neck. The demon howled wetly before shriveling into itself and melting into a yellow viscous puddle at their feet.

Isabel dusted herself off, stepping back quickly before any of the goo touched her shoes. Darwin gingerly picked up the dagger from the pool.

"You know, your timing did not need to be quite so dramatic," he mentioned, cleaning the drenched dagger with his handkerchief.

"You are the one who said the ambush tactic would be more useful against this thing," she countered.

"I did and it was. I'm only suggesting that next time a little extra haste might not be such a terrible thing. I happen to enjoy living."

Isabel wrapped her arms around Darwin and pressed her cheek against his shoulder blades. "I never would have let it hurt you."

Smiling, he patted her hand affectionately. "We're going to be late now, you realize."

He turned around and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Since we're already going to be late…" She smiled up at him.

Darwin laughed and bent down to kiss her chastely. "We have to get going."

Pouting, Isabel sighed and released him from her hold. "You better make it up to me later."

"Only if I must."

She scoffed at him, taking a swipe at his arm playfully. All of a sudden, she winced and grabbed at her side.

"What's wrong?" Darwin asked, worried.

"Nothing, just a cramp or something." She straightened up but her eyes were still tight around the edges.

"Are you sure you didn't land strangely when you fell? Or perhaps that demon got a blow in at some point? Maybe we should –"

"I said I'm fine," she insisted. "it's probably something I ate or something. Please don't worry."

Darwin pressed his lips together and stayed quiet, knowing he wouldn't be placated until he examined her later. Made absolute certain there was no internal injury or anything of the sort.

Walking hand in hand, they both stepped out of the ally and onto the busy streets of London. In spite of the glaring daylight and multitude of people rushing about, not one person had noticed the scuffle that had taken place.

Once they managed to hail a taxi, they arrived at the Watchers Council Headquarters for the first time since they'd met nearly nine months ago. They paid the driver and entered the building, taking the first elevator on the left and pressing the up arrow.

"Are you nervous?"

"Why does everyone ask me that? Do I seem like a nervous person?"

"There's no reason to be nervous."

"I _know_. I'm _not_ nervous."

Isabel suppressed a laugh unsuccessfully. "It's normal for them to call their Slayers and Watchers in for evaluation. That's what you told me."

"It is, yes."

"So there's no possible way they could suspect anything."

"No, no possible way."

"So there's no reason to be nervous."

"I'm. Not. Nervous."

She laughed, taking his hand in hers and giving it a small encouraging squeeze. "It'll be fine." Isabel pulled her hand away just as the elevator doors chimed and opened.

They stepped off the elevator and proceeded down the hall in the opposite direction Darwin had taken back in October. Isabel followed a few paces behind.

He came to a stop just outside the council's main meeting room when he spotted a familiar face. "Hello, Mrs. Giles."

She looked up at her name and seemed to force a polite smile. "Oh, good morning, Mr. Holtz, Miss. Rios."

"I apologize for our tardiness. We had an unscheduled Slaying incident just outside the airport."

"Not to worry, my boy. We're all running a bit late this morning."

"Oh, congratulations on your retirement. I heard the party's in a few weeks."

"Yes, thank you, though there's not much celebrating to be had, I'm afraid."

Darwin frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"We lost one of our own the other night."

"My God," he gasped. "What happened?"

"We're still sorting out the details –it was so sudden."

"Who was it?"

"Collin O'Hare."

Darwin remembered the gentleman who had gushed all over him and his surname. Could it have been the same person?

"Good heavens, child, are you all right?"

It took Darwin a moment to realize Agatha wasn't speaking to him. He whirled around.

"Isabel?"

She was on her knees, clutching at her side again, face contorted in pain. He dropped to his knees beside her.

"Isabel, what is it –what's wrong?"

"It hurts…" she grunted, curling in even more on herself. "God it hurts!"

He pressed a hand to her abdomen and gasped. Something warm and wet clung to his skin.

Blood.

"Some call for an ambulance! Now!" Agatha shouted.

It took seven minutes for the ambulance to arrive –the longest seven minutes of Darwin's life. The technicians refused to allow Darwin to ride in the ambulance with Isabel but the Council was able to provide a car.

When he arrived at the hospital, all he was told was they were running tests and not to worry. And no he couldn't see her just yet.

It took all he had not to blurt out the truth of the fight with that demon, fearful as he was that that might've been the cause of Isabel's condition. He did mention that she fell –down some stairs, he lied –and again all he was told was to wait.

A full hour and a quarter passed before Darwin spotted Philip emerge from the ICU and motion him to approach.

"Is everything alright?" Darwin asked, trying to keep his anxiety under control. "What's wrong with her?"

"We need to talk," was all Philip said. "Come with me."

Philip led the way down the winding hospital hallway until they came to a stop outside a closed recovery room door.

"What's going on, Philip?" he asked, fearful.

"That's what I want to ask you," Philip said, eyeing Darwin speculatively. "What's going on, Darwin?"

The young man's mouth went completely dry. "I don't know what you mean."

"Are you quite certain of that?"

Panic threatened to overwhelm Darwin and turned him belligerent. "Look, Philip, I've no idea what you're playing at! All I know is my Slayer has been hospitalized and not one person has informed me of her condition! And now I am being accused of something I know nothing of! Will you please tell me how she's doing? Is Isa… is Miss. Rios alright?"

"She's pregnant."

All the breath fled from Darwin's lungs and he found himself clutching a nearby chair to keep from falling.

Philip continued. "Her placenta separated which caused the pain and bleeding. She'll need to stay overnight but I've been assured she'll recover."

Darwin barely heard a word. His mind was still reeling over this impossible news.

"How did you let this happen, Darwin?" Philip demanded.

He still couldn't remember how to talk. He merely shook his head.

"Have you any idea who the father is?"

It felt as though a spotlight had been directed upon Darwin. Almost as though Philip had miraculously guessed at Darwin's involvement. But that was impossible, yes? Impossible.

"I really can't say, Philip," Darwin whispered. It was more truthful a statement than Philip would ever realize.

"I thought as much. She told me it happened while she was alone on patrol –that she never knew who he was and snuck out before dawn." He shook his head, exasperated. "I must say I'm very disappointed, Darwin. I understand you can't monitor a Slayer all hours of the day, but to allow something like this to transpire… I expected much more of you."

Any other time, those words of disapproval might've hurt Darwin. But the Watcher –as shell shocked as he was –had more pressing matters at hand.

"Can I see her?"

Philip sighed heavily. "I suppose you should. Go. I'll speak to the rest of the Council. We'll be expecting you later this evening."

"Of course," he agreed absently, moving to the door. He grasped the handle and pushed it open without bother to knock.

Isabel was lying down in the hospital bed, machines beeping and whirring all around her. She was awake.

Closing the door for privacy, Darwin quickly came to her side. "Isabel."

She reached for his hand. "Have you heard?"

He nodded, taking her hand delicately. "Did… I mean, did you know about this?"

She seemed to have difficulty answering right away, making him all the more apprehensive. "No, I didn't know. But… there were dreams."

"Dreams?"

She nodded. "Of us, back at my family's house. We were together, raising our child." She looked at him bashfully. "I just thought it was simple wishful thinking. I never realized…"

She met his gaze with a suddenly anxious expression. "Are you angry?"

He took a long, deep breath before answering. "I'm afraid. This life –our life –is no place for a child, is it?"

Isabel tried very hard to keep her tears at bay. "Then… then do you want to…" She couldn't say the words.

He shook his head immediately. "No. No, I… I could never…"

Tentatively, Darwin reached out and laid a hand atop Isabel's belly. Though impossible, he imagined he could actually feel their unborn child beneath her taut stomach. A product of their love. Forbidden, yes, but love nonetheless.

"We'll make it work. We'll figure it all out. I promise everything will be all right."

Isabel placed her hand on the one resting on her stomach. "_Te quero_."

"I love you, too." He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Isabel made room for Darwin to lie beside her. Should anyone happen to come inside, they'd be caught for certain. But right now, neither of them wished to think of that.

No, right now they were in their own world. A world without vampires and demons, Watchers and Slayers.

Right now they were just a young couple in love, worrying over what the future held in store for them and their baby.


	6. January 1979

January 1979

Nearly twelve hours of labor –eleven hours and fifty-nine minutes in point of fact –and now, finally, it was here.

The doctors bathed and swaddled the baby then handed it to Isabel. "A healthy baby girl," they told her.

Once Isabel and the baby were deemed all right, the nurses and doctors left the two of them and Darwin alone in the room, ordering Darwin to make sure Isabel rested.

Alone at last, Darwin was finally able to hold his daughter for the first time. She was so tiny, so soft, he was almost afraid to handle her.

"She's so beautiful," he whispered, eyes welling with tears. "She looks just like you." He watched the baby girl's sleeping face, patting her soft, thin hair. "Have you thought of a name?"

"Natalie."

Darwin's head snapped up. That was his mother's name –he'd told Isabel all about his parent's unfortunate and early death.

"Are you sure?" he had to ask.

"I've never been more sure."

He looked back down at the child in his arms. "Hullo, Natalie."

"Darwin, there's something I must ask you to do for me."

Isabel's expression was deathly serious and put Darwin on alert. "What is it?"

"You cannot tell the other Watchers Natalie is a girl."

He stared at her uncomprehending. "What?"

"You must convince them that our child is a boy, not a girl. Tell the doctors to write 'male' on her birth certificate."

"I don't understand. Why?"

"I can't explain it, but I know we have to keep Natalie's gender a secret." She suddenly stared at him with wide frightful eyes. "I saw it in my dreams. Terrible things will happen if they found out. Please, for my sake –for _our_ sake –please do this. Please."

He still didn't understand why but he knew without a doubt it was important to her. Therefore he made the promise.

True to his word, the birth records chronicled today as the day Nathan Rios, male, eight pounds zero ounces, was born. The mother listed as Isabel Rios and the father listed as unknown.


	7. April 1980

April 1980

It had been weeks since they'd been home and now that the large house was in sight, they could hardly hold back their enthusiasm, even as the heavens poured sheets of rain atop their heads.

"Race you there?" Isabel challenged, already jogging. "First one there gets to hold Natalie first."

"Oh no, not bloody likely," Darwin said, grabbing hold of Isabel's arm before she could take off. "Do you really think I'm daft enough to put my physical prowess against a Slayer? At least… not without a head start!"

He yanked her back and darted ahead, knowing she'd overtake him within seconds but laughing all the same, even as the satchel containing all their weapons bashed against his side as he ran.

They'd spoken to Mrs. Rios over the phone yesterday –Natalie was already beginning to take her first steps. It wouldn't be long before she's walking. With any luck, Darwin and Isabel would be there to see it.

Sure enough, Isabel quickly glided past Darwin, loping with ease like a gazelle, blowing him a kiss before jetting ahead. He caught up with her when she came to a halt a few yards from the house.

"You're not tired already?" he asked, panting.

There was alarm on Isabel's face. "Something's wrong."

Darwin followed her gaze to the house before them. The front door was hanging open and the dirt-crusted screen door was lying on the ground in the yard.

Both Slayer and Watcher rushed forward. Automatically, Darwin handed Isabel a short-handled ax while he took up a small crossbow that fired metal spikes. Mrs. Rios and the girls knew better than to invite anyone inside –chances were high this wasn't the work of vampires.

Stashing the weapons bag outside the door, Isabel and Darwin quietly and cautiously made their way inside.

"_Dios mio, no_!"

Mrs. Rios, Marcela and Gabriela all lay on the floor in the living room. The kitchen door was closed on an additional pair of legs –Teresa, no doubt.

Glassy eyes stared up at the ceiling, faces forever contorted in a reflection of their final horror. They were dead.

"Natalie!"

This time, Darwin moved quicker than Isabel as he raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The door to the nursery was open. Heart hammering in his chest, Darwin hurried into the room, sending a prayer to God.

Natalie lay inside her crib, eyes closed, unmoving.

_God no… oh please God no…_

Darwin reached into the crib to pick up his child. Natalie's eyes shot open in surprise at his touch and she immediately began to wail her anger at the disturbance of her sleep.

Music to Darwin's ears…

"It's alright, love, shh, it's alright," Darwin cooed, trying to calm her.

The blow came out of nowhere.

First, Isabel was thrown back through the doorway. Then, before Darwin had a chance to react, he was flung back against the window. Glass shattered and the young Watcher tumbled out the window, rolling across the roof.

He landed on his back on the ground below, the force knocking the wind from him. But he'd managed to keep hold of Natalie and despite some jostling the infant was unharmed.

A large, thick creature landed in front of Darwin who was still struggling to catch his breath.

The demon was terrifying. At least seven or eight feet tall, its skin resembled cooled lava rock with what looked like purple veins running throughout. Its arms were severely long, hands ending at its knees with long, hooked claws. Red eyes blazed around black irises.

It smiled with serrated teeth and spoke with a gravely voice. "Hello, Watcher."

Darwin was still too stunned to do more than watch as the demon made its way over to him.

Suddenly there was a strange whistling sound that stopped the thing in its tracks, followed immediately by a loud _thack_!

Embedded in a tree not two feet from where the demon stood was the ax Isabel had held. The Slayer was already running forward into a flip that placed her between the demon and her family. But when she caught sight of her opponent she gasped audibly.

"_Slayer_…" It sounded like two cement blocks grinding together when he said her title. "So good to see you again."

Isabel dropped back into a fighter's stance. "You won't take this one, demon. This time, I will kill you!"

She charged the creature, launching into a spinning roundhouse. Her foot connected with the demon's chest, knocking it back several paces. She reared back and launched a fist, aiming for its face.

But the demon was ready. It slapped her head away as if it were nothing but a mere annoying insect. Before Isabel could counter, it wrapped an enormous clawed hand around her throat, lifting her from the ground.

Darwin was on his feet now, but he didn't move from his spot. Isabel was in danger but he still held Natalie. He couldn't very well abandon either of them to face a demon he stood no chance of defeating.

The weapons bag! He could run over to where he'd tossed the bag and get Isabel something to use against that behemoth!

"My quarrel is not with you, Slayer," the demon said calmly as it held the girl while she tried to wriggle free. "Leave now and you may live."

Darwin was halfway to the house when the demon threw Isabel through the air. She landed in a heap, crumbling the chicken-wire fence. Hens and the like fluffed their feathers and clucked their annoyance.

"Isabel!" Darwin called, horrified. She wasn't getting up.

Meanwhile, the hulking creature was working away at the tree Isabel's ax had hit. After a few grunts, it freed the weapon, gripping the handle in its grotesque hand as though trying to get a feel for it.

It turned toward Darwin –standing in the middle of an open area with no cover whatsoever –and grinned widely. The Watcher's mind was processing too many things at once to react as the creature pulled its arm back and launched the ax.

Straight at Darwin's heart.

It was a moment that seemed to stretch forever and yet slow to a crawl at the same time. Darwin had enough time to wonder what Natalie's first words would be, what sort of person she'd grow up to be, whether she'd ever think of him. And yet, there was not enough time for him to do anything to save himself.

He had just enough sense to turn his back to the oncoming deathblow, cradling his daughter to his chest ensuring her protection.

But the blow did not come. The ax halted in mid-air once it collided with Isabel as she dived in its path. The blade pierced her back deeply, shattering bone and spraying blood as she plummeted to the ground.

Darwin turned and saw what his beloved had done. He made no noise, no sound at all as he fell to his knees beside her, still cradling their child in his arms.

Isabel raised her hand off the muddied ground and touched first her daughter's face then her lover's.

"_T-te quero…"_

And then the Slayer was dead.


	8. Part Two: The Machine

April 1980

There was nothing for him now. Darwin could no longer hear the sound of his daughter's crying. No longer feel the freezing cold rain as it soaked through his overcoat. No longer see the demon as it stomped through the mud toward him. His everything lay still and lifeless before him.

The creature stopped on the other side of the fallen Slayer, staring down at the Watcher who did not even acknowledge the demon. Something flicked through the creature's mind as it stared down at the man couched over the girl with the screaming child still in his arms, something like realization.

The monster turned around and calmly walked away, leaving the Watcher to a fate worse than death.

Darwin had no clear concept of time; it could have been minutes or it could have been hours before someone laid a hand on his shoulder and said his name.

Philip knelt beside him. "Darwin, I asked if you were hurt."

Slowly, his senses were beginning to come back to him. First his hearing returned –Natalie's cries were finally reaching him, demanding his attention. She was cold and probably wet and hungry.

No, she was wondering why Mommy wasn't getting back up.

Philip said something else –something about having rang the house and not getting an answer earlier in the day, along those lines –but Darwin still wasn't completely there. For all the world, he was just as his lover was: dead.

Until Philip tried to take the child from him. That was when Darwin finally awoke from his haze.

"Don't touch _her_!" he shouted, pulling away from Philip's grasp. Natalie was all he had left of Isabel and he'd be damned if he allowed anyone to take her from him.

"Did you just say 'her'?"

Now Darwin remembered, Isabel's insistence that they hide Natalie's gender from the Council. She'd never explained herself properly or her reasoning and as time went by, he simply forgot about it.

"Are you telling me that child –Isabel's child –is a girl?" Philip stared from Darwin to Isabel's body then back, a kind of light sparking behind his eyes. "Darwin… is this _your_ child?"

He said nothing more and his silence was answer enough.

The other Watchers put the sopping Darwin into the back of a car and then later onto an airplane. He could recall feeding and changing Natalie but he couldn't be sure whether these events actually took place or if they were simply memories from better times.

No, Darwin did not return to the world around him until he found himself seated at the Higher Council's table with his baby sleeping against his chest and thirteen eyes upon him.

Philip was addressing the others. "And there you have it. A decision must be made now. What are we going to do about this child?"

Darwin's head shot up at that. "What?"

Philip's eyes flickered briefly to Darwin before returning to the group at large. "You all understand what's at stake here. We'll leave it to a vote."

"Vote? What vote? Philip, what is going on?"

"Damn it, Darwin!" he hissed, turning his attention back to the younger man. "You've no idea just how much damage you've done, do you? Didn't you ever wonder why it is we keep Slayers at a distance from the rest of the world?"

"Relationships are a weakness for Slayers," Darwin recited. "They could be used against them. That's what I was told."

"That's not the only reason, son," Marge, the woman Darwin had met alongside Collin nearly three years ago, spoke in a gentle voice.

"Then what is the reason?" he demanded.

"To avoid what you are holding in your arms," Philip answered. "Should a Slayer bare a child there is a chance the lineage may pass from mother to daughter. That baby," he aimed a finger at the sleeping Natalie "is now the current Slayer."

Ice water seemed to flow in Darwin's veins as he stared down at his daughter as though he could see some sort of sign that what Philip said was true. But it couldn't be. It was impossible. Right?

Then again, if it was such an impossibility, why was Isabel so frightened to tell the Watchers Natalie's true gender?

"Be that as it may," Philip continued, turning back to the Council. "It may not be too late to set things right –to make sure the true Slayer is awakened properly. Let us vote now. Those in favor, please say 'aye' and those opposed say 'nay'."

Bile threatened to crawl up Darwin's throat. "In favor of what?"

Philip met Darwin's gaze unwaveringly. "To kill that child."

"Kill her?" he gasped in horror. "Why?"

"You should know that, Darwin. 'When one Slayer dies, another is Chosen'. Your daughter is the current Slayer. Once she dies the next Slayer –the one that should've been Chosen from the start –will awaken."

"You can't do that!" he cried, rising from his chair, appealing to the rest of the Council. "Please, for God sakes, she's only an infant!"

"Aye."

Darwin stared in horror at the man who began the vote –the man who refused to look Darwin in the eye even as he condemned his daughter to death.

"You can't do this to an innocent child!"

"Aye."

This came from an elder woman at the far end of the table.

One by one other members put out their votes. Only Marge and one other man voted "nay".

It came to Philip as the last vote though it mattered little –it was very evident that the 'ayes' would win. Still, he felt no qualms about looking straight at Darwin and saying in a clear voice that seemed to ring in Darwin's ears "aye".

The man who had taken Darwin in after his parents were murdered, the one who'd he'd often considered a surrogate father in many ways, the one he'd loved and trusted, was apart of the committee advocating the death of his only child.

"There you have it," Philip said. "Let's get this over with so we can move on to the next matter at hand: what to do with you." He eyed Darwin.

A guard came into the room seemingly without having been summoned. As though he knew he'd be called in to perform this grisly deed. A notion that could quite possibly have been true.

Darwin did not act –he simply reacted. His higher thinking momentarily shut down allowing his body to move without knowing or caring for the consequences his actions would undoubtedly bring.

He shot up from his chair, rushing at the guard. Caught off guard, the officer could not stop Darwin from taking his pistol and aiming it at his chest.

The rest of the Council all froze in their seats at the sight of the gun. Only Philip seemed to remain calm as he raised a hand for the others to stay where they were.

"What are you doing, Darwin?" he asked in a cool tone.

Darwin aimed the gun at his former friend; it quaked dangerously in his trembling hand. "I won't let you take her from me!"

"Listen to reason. You know you can't escape us. You're only delaying the inevitable."

"_Shut up_!" he shouted, working to keep his shaking finger on the trigger. "Natalie is all that I have –no one is taking her away!"

"And where will you go? You know how powerful we are. There is no corner of this Earth that is out of our reach. We will find you, Darwin, there is no doubt about that."

It was true; Darwin had no plan and no way to protect himself or his baby from these people or the Enforcers they'd send after him. It truly was an impossible situation.

Somehow, even after his betrayal, Philip could still tap into Darwin's mind. Like a picture on the television, he seemed to be able to see perfectly clear that Darwin's resolve was faltering and took a step forward. "If you give up now, I give you my word, we'll let you walk away from this whole thing without punishment. Just hand over the child and walk away."

Logically, it was the right thing to do. Besides, what could he possibly offer this child still sleeping soundly and peacefully in his arm? Without Isabel…

_Isabel…_

He cocked the hammer of the gun back, all doubt washing away at the thought of his beloved. "Never," he vowed, taking a step backwards toward the door.

Rage crossed over Philip's features warping him almost demonically. "You bloody fool! Don't you understand? Without the Slayer we are defenseless! The human race has no protector!"

"They shall have a protector. I will train her. You'll see… I'll show you the perfect Slayer."

"And what about until that time comes? Every person that dies, every drop of blood that is spilled –blood that could've been prevented –will all be on your hands."

It was a chilling thought and a truthful one; there was no denying it. But Darwin would accept the responsibility. He understood where he'd gone wrong with Isabel, how he'd failed her, gotten her killed. He would not make the same mistakes with Natalie. When this girl grew up, she would truly be a perfect warrior.

Without another word, Darwin fled from the room.


	9. September 1991

September 1991

"Natalie, I need to talk to you."

Darwin opened the door and entered his daughter's room. She stood rigid next to her bed, stomping her foot down to ineffectively mask a soft thumping noise.

To be honest, it was always hard for Darwin to look at her, the spitting image of her mother even at a mere twelve years. Those same dark chocolate colored eyes, honey skin, and delicate yet strong features were like a whispering ghost haunting him.

Except when he could tell she was trying to hide something. "What were you doing?"

Natalie's eyes seemed to look at every other object aside from her father. "I-I was studying."

Darwin's gaze fell pointedly at the pile of thick volumes that lay discarded on the floor beside her vacant closet. She followed his gaze and began to wring her hands together nervously.

"Um, I _was_ studying…I, um, I was just taking a break."

He walked up to the young Slayer and bent down to pick up the object she was trying to keep from him. "What's this?" he demanded, holding up a book he didn't recognize.

She swallowed audibly, her face paling. "A book?" She made it a question, as though unsure of which answer to give –more accurately, which answer Darwin would be the least upset hearing.

His eyes raked across the spine. _The Fellowship of the Ring_. "Where did you get this?"

It seemed this was the question she'd been dreading. "A … a friend."

"What friend?" he nearly shouted, anger filling him.

She jumped at his raised voice and blurted out, "It was just this guy I ran into the other night on patrol. We got to talking and –and he thought I might like it so he loaned it to me."

It was becoming exceedingly difficult to keep his building rage in check. "You… you were talking to someone? A boy?"

Her voice seemingly abandoning her, Natalie could only nod, lowering her gaze.

"Do you have any idea how incredibly reckless and stupid that was? What have I been telling you for the last four years?"

"I… I know. But, Dad, you don't –"

"I am not your father right now!" he interrupted her harshly. "Right now I am your Watcher and you will address me as such."

Natalie blinked rapidly then met his gaze with a fierce stare –just like Isabel always used to before. "Sir," she amended in a hallow tone. "He was just some boy who was nice to me. I was careful. I didn't even give him my name or anything incriminating."

"That doesn't matter. I've told you countless times. The Council has eyes everywhere, waiting for a chance to find you –to find us. That boy could've just as easily been a spy –he could be reporting seeing you right now as we speak!"

"He wasn't a spy –he's just a normal boy. Trust me."

"Trust you?" he snapped. "How can you expect me to trust you with you deliberately disobey me and hold secret meetings and come home with this?" He held up the book as though she might have forgotten the focus of his irritation. "You can't take any chances. Especially not now. Not when we are this close."

She frowned at him. "Close?"

The anger abruptly washed out of him as his original focus was restored. "I found it, Natalie. The demon that took your mother from us –I finally tracked it."

Her lower lip sucked into her mouth and she began to rub her arm absently as though she'd felt a sudden chill in the air. "How… are you sure this time?"

"Without a doubt. I've researched the area thoroughly, including all the sightings and recent demonic activity and it all fits. And I located a Watcher living near the vicinity –retired in a small township just outside of Toronto."

Darwin crossed over to the map of Ontario he'd tacked onto her wall when they rented the small apartment two days ago and illustrated the path with his finger while he spoke. "Based on what I've calculated of the creature's actions and previous behavior, it will, in all likelihood, stick to the more dense forested areas surrounding, keeping to the less populated areas so as not to be detected. Which is advantageous to us seeing as how we can simply go straight through the heart of Toronto. It will be close but if my calculations are precise, we might be able to reach our destination before it can claim another life and slip away again."

He turned away from the map and addressed his Slayer. "Gather your things –we must leave immediately if we are to prevail."

Darwin took a few steps toward the door before he paused, noticing that Natalie was not moving as he ordered. "Natalie?"

She wasn't meeting his gaze again. "I… I don't think we should leave just yet."

Suppressing a tired sigh, he crossed his arms, only now once again aware of the book he still held in his hand. Why did she continually insist on arguing with him whenever it came to following up on leads such as this? "And why should we wait?"

"My… my, um, my ankle still hasn't completely healed from the other night."

"Your ankle is satisfactory –I examined it myself."

She met his gaze with a sort of desperation. "Maybe we should go to a hospital and have it x-rayed by a professional just in case."

"Natalie, why must we keep having the same argument again and again?" he demanded, slapping the book against his palm for emphasis. "If we go to a hospital they'll file a report and the Council will find us. I have not spent the last decade memorizing every single medical text and journal I could get my hands on only to be caught now, especially when I know you're lying to me right now. Now I demand you tell me the truth this instant."

Again, her hand ran up and down her arm; this time, her nails raked against her skin leaving thin red tracks she did not seem to notice. Her shoulders slumped forward and her eyes focused on the floor at her feet. It took her a long time to form the words.

"It's just that… that I've never fought anything stronger than a vampire before. And now you're asking me to fight something that you still haven't been able to identify and it's already killed one Slayer before –a Slayer _far_ more experienced then I am. I-I don't think I'm ready." She raised her face and her eyes shined as they met his. "I'm scared."

Darwin met her gaze unwavering and said bluntly, "You are a Slayer, Natalie. Fear is a luxury you can't afford. You must push out all emotions if you are to survive this life. Emotions will get you killed." _Just like your mother._

Natalie stared up at him, hurt and anxiety clearly depicted on her features. He ignored the pain in her eyes and made his way briskly to the door.

"Gather your things," he repeated. "We're clearing out tonight."

"I promised my friend I'd give him his book back," she told him quietly.

Darwin gripped the book in his hand tightly then dropped it into the trashcan beside the door. "Next time, don't make promises you can't keep."

Her hands clenched into tight, trembling fists at her sides as she turned her gaze away allowing her hair –cut short so as not to get in the way during a fight –to cover her eyes as a single tear escaped down the side of her cheek.

"Yes, sir," was all she said, voice hallow and dead-sounding.

Without another word, he left her alone and closed the door behind him. Once he was out in the hallway away from view, he dropped his face into his hands and took in a trembling breath.

God it was so hard. Everything inside him wanted to go back into that room and take his little girl in his arms. Soothe and comfort her –tell her she didn't have to face the terrible monsters in her path. To be her father and not her Watcher even if it was for only a moment.

_No, not yet. Soon. Once Natalie has avenged Isabel then you can take her away from all this until she truly is ready. For now, you must be firm and strong. It's for the best. Love is what killed Isabel. If you do not wish for the same fate for your daughter, you must not lose yourself._

Yes, he couldn't lose focus now. Natalie was depending on him. He would not make the same mistakes he made with Isabel. He would right this tragic wrong.

Taking in a long, steady breath, Darwin straightened himself up. Burying the father deep inside his subconscious, the Watcher set forth to prepare his Slayer for battle.


	10. October 1991

October 1991

It was raining again –just as it had on that night.

The Watcher –Jason Welsch –lived in a lake house northeast of Toronto. It was isolated, extremely remote from the world.

The perfect place for an ambush.

Darwin and Natalie cautiously approached the large house. In the bag at his hip, Darwin carried a vast assortment of weapons. His research into the creature's identity had proven fruitless thus he still had no inclination what might work best against this monster. Therefore he'd brought a little of everything –something in this bag should handle the beast.

Natalie followed closely behind him, gripping the long broadsword in a slippery grasp. Her teeth chattered together distractingly –Darwin chose to believe it was the cold temperature that made her quake.

An ear-piercing shriek shattered the sky, silencing all the sounds of the lake surrounding them. Another scream erupted from the house that ended abruptly.

They were too late to help Mr. Welsch.

"I'll secure this entrance," Darwin whispered as low as he could in the rain. "Go round the back and find a way in."

"I… I c-can't."

Darwin turned around. Violent tremors were wracking Natalie's body now and not from the cold. Tears poured down her face mixing with the rain.

"Please, Daddy, please don't make me go in there! Let's just go, please? I-I'm so scared…"

He stared at his daughter's distraught appearance and nearly broke down as well. He remembered when he'd first made her fight a vampire when she was only eight years old. She'd wept for hours and refused to sleep with the lights off for days. He'd broken a piece of her –his own child –which she would never get back.

_But that was for her own good, wasn't it? She needed to know the world she's a part of. It was for the best as is this moment now. Just once more. One more time and you'll both be free. You'll take her away –make it all up to her. Be the father she deserves._

_ Just one more time…_

"Listen to me. You are not a girl. You are the Slayer –a weapon made flesh. You aren't allowed to give in to the fear. There should be nothing in your heart or mind but the kill."

"B-but, Daddy –"

"I am not your father!" he interrupted. "You are not my daughter! When I look at you, all I see is a Slayer that has defied me long enough. Now do as you're told before we lose this demon yet again because of you."

Natalie stared at Darwin for several long moments, shivering and sniffling –looking very much like a pathetic kitten abandoned in the rain. Chocolate brown eyes bore into his, begging silently for love and compassion.

Darwin turned his back on her. Soon he heard the soft crunching of wet leaves as Natalie vanished into the shadows.

_She must hate me now._

_ It doesn't matter. You'll make it up to her. This will be over soon._

_ Isabel, are you watching, my love? You're going to be avenged soon. Just like I promised. Please be patient just a little longer…_

As quiet as possible, Darwin slowly approached the front of the front of the lake house, minding the trees to stay hidden. It would do him no good –after all this time and planning –to be seen now.

It wasn't long before the sounds came. Crashes and bangs could be heard echoing in the night. Something shattered –a window quite possibly; it was impossible for Darwin to see from this vantage. The obvious sounds of a fight.

Darwin moved closer at a quicker pace, pulling out his weapon of choice and slinging the bag more securely behind him. He wanted nothing in the way of his arms.

There was a booming demonic roar that burst from the house. Then more crashing.

Darwin ripped his weapon tighter. Would Natalie finish the creature off or leave the honor to him. He imagined watching the light disappear from its eyes and being the cause of that fade. It was a joyous picture in his mind.

Then Natalie's body was hurled through the front door, splintering the wood and shattering Darwin's imagination. She lay limp and motionless on the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.

For one irrational moment, Darwin thought he was seeing Isobel lying there in the mud and rain before his senses returned to him. But what to do? Go to her? What if this were merely a play to entrap the demon into a false victory? He'd be spoiling her plan by revealing himself too quickly.

Then again, what if he was already too late and she was as lifeless as she appeared?

In the end, Darwin's indecisiveness rooted him to the spot in the foliage.

From the ruined entryway, it finally emerged, the dark shadows peeling themselves back to reveal the demon's massive form.

It had changed since Darwin last laid eyes upon it. The creature was thicker, bigger than before. It radiated power and strength like nothing Darwin could fathom.

Each footstep the monster made in the earth vibrated through the Watcher's shoes, leaving him utterly paralyzed in its wake. Barely comprehending what he was witnessing, Darwin watched it slowly saunter up to the still form of the girl.

When it bent down and grasped her wrist, Natalie seemed to come back to life as the thing yanked her arm upward savagely until she was half lying half in the air.

"No –no, please, no! Don't!"

Her voice resurrected Darwin as well, propelling him forward out of the trees. "Let her go beast!" he ordered, pumping a shell into the chamber of the shotgun he held and lining the barrel up to its broad chest.

The demon glanced almost lazily up from its prey to Darwin. A spark of recognition flashed across its blood colored eyes and its lips pulled back into a pleased grin.

"Another Slayer, mighty Watcher? It seems you do not learn from your follies much like your breather." It spoke in a chiding tone laced with amusement.

"I said let her go! Or so help me God I will end your horrid existence here and now!"

The creature threw its head back and laughed. The sound sent a cold shiver down Darwin's spine –like bone grating against bone.

"That you would wield such a weapon against me tells me you know nothing of K'Shahl or my breed." That chilling grin widened. "But I know yours, Watcher. I know your strengths… and weaknesses."

It almost reminded Darwin of paper being shredded. Only when paper is torn, there is no bone to snap.

Without preamble or warning, the demon who called itself K'Shahl ripped Natalie's arm viciously from her body just above the elbow.

The Slayer didn't scream but her Watcher did, blasting K'Shahl with the shotgun aiming for the center of its chest.

It only knocked K'Shahl back on his heels. The demon merely laughed and raised its hand to lap at the blood running from Natalie's arm.

Boundless rage robbed Darwin of all rationale and he threw his body forward. Gripping the shotgun by the barrel, he swung it like a club for the monster's face.

K'Shahl calmly stepped back from the weapon's path. The unconnected swing drove the Watcher off balance. Before he could hit the ground, K'Shahl grabbed Darwin by the collar and hoisted him off his feet. The shotgun was lost from his grasp as the powerless human tried feebly to break free.

"Do you know why I allow you to live when so many others I have slain?" K'Shahl purred the words in his gravelly voice. "You amuse me. Never in all my years have I ever had the pleasure of seeing a fool such as you. Your death means little to me and my vision. Which is why I shall grant you life once again. If only to see the next toy you will give me to play with."

K'Shahl hurled Darwin away like he was nothing –a doll a temperamental child had grown tired of. He crashed through the leaves and branches of the surrounding forest. Minuscule rodents and other animals of the night scurried from his path.

Finally, he met with the ground, the force rocking his body and summoning darkness to his vision.

_Forgive me…_ was his final thought as the black fog swept him away –not knowing from whom he sought forgiveness.


	11. November 1991

November 1991

Baffled, they were, the whole lot of them. Even with more than four decades of medical experience amongst them all, none could offer an explanation to pacify their befuddlement.

No one could understand how this child had survived such a vicious animal attack leaving her with an arm completely severed, multiple bruises, several cracked ribs and a multitude of cuts and scrapes. She'd also lost a significant amount of blood and yet somehow managed to stay alive long enough for her father to get her to the hospital.

Nothing short of a miracle, they all said.

The arm had been too heavily damaged for reattachment leaving the surgeons little choice but to close the wound, cutting another three inches to make the stitching even. It wasn't until after many blood transfusions that the girl was finally able to be removed from the ICU but she still wouldn't be released from the hospital for at least another week. Quite possibly less given how quickly most of her injuries have healed.

Darwin only required a half dozen stitches to close a wound over his eye. He couldn't even come up with a proper explanation when the doctors inquired how he'd acquired it. They assumed he was simply in shock over his daughter's brutality and left him alone for the most part.

They'd been at the hospital for nearly three weeks while Natalie recovered. Darwin had been in constant fear of discovery from the Council but there did not seem to be any sign of them. Or he simply hadn't noticed the signs.

He still needed to talk to Natalie about what happened at the lake house. Every time he made the attempt, she was either resting or surrounded by doctors and nursing staff. There never seemed to be a moment for themselves.

Memory of his daughter's mutilation haunted Darwin, so much so he wasn't able to sleep very well despite the charming little cot the nurses had provided for him –a cot that felt as though it were made from cement and plywood and some other non-comfortable material Darwin was too tired to think of.

When his thoughts weren't centered upon the Slayer, they were plagued by that demon.

K'Shahl…

It had a name. More important, _Darwin_ had a name. Now he had something to go on. This could very well be the break he'd been searching for all these years. Now he would find that abomination's weakness and destroy it.

The elevator doors parted and Darwin stepped onto Natalie's floor in the Recovery Ward. Her room was right around the corner.

As he took the corner, sipping bitterly from his revolting coffee, a nurse was leaving his daughter's room.

"Press the call button if you need anything, honey," she was saying before she closed the door and walked briskly down the hallway opposite Darwin.

Natalie was awake. And for the moment, she appeared to be alone. Tossing the nearly full plastic cup into a nearby receptacle, Darwin entered the room.

Natalie was lying back in her bed, which was inclined at a forty-five degree angle. Bandages covered most of her neck and left shoulder and a large bruise still shown across her jaw though it was only a vague shade of yellow now. In fact, Darwin was fairly certain those bandages were no longer necessary at all.

Once her body had started producing its own blood, her natural Slayer healing abilities were able to begin work at repairing itself. In fact, her face had much more color today then it had the last few days. Yes, she was going to be released very soon.

Closing the door behind him, Darwin claimed the seat beside the bed. "We need to discuss what happened the other night."

Natalie nodded; the heart-rate monitor betrayed the skip in her heartbeat. "I'm sorry. I tried to get the drop on him but… he just seemed to know I was there already. I… I couldn't…"

"It's not important," he interrupted softly, forcing his eyes not to wander to the still slightly irregular monitor. "I was able to… extract some valuable information from the demon before it left. With any lucky, I'll finally be able figure out what that thing is and –more pressing –how to kill it so we'll be ready next time."

What little color Darwin had noticed drained from Natalie's face. "Next time?"

"When you face the demon again, yes."

"You can't expect me to go out there again, like this!" She rested her remaining hand on the stump hidden beneath the hospital blanket.

Darwin swallowed uncomfortably, absolutely loathing himself for having to say this to her. "Natalie, I'm sorry, but you have no other choice. You are the Slayer."

Pure panic colored her features, making the various machines around her erratically beeping and chiming her inner turmoil. "But I… I can't! I couldn't beat that thing before; how can I now?"

"We'll modify your training –teach you how to compensate for your loss. It will be difficult but you'll just have to push through it."

"But it's impossible! I'll never be able to defend myself! Can't you just find someone else to fight?"

"There is no one else. 'Into every generation, a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world'. That girl is you. You cannot escape your destiny. As I said, if we modify your training a bit, given enough time, I'm certain you'll be –"

"Get out."

Darwin focused on his daughter. Her eyes –filled with unshed tears –were narrowed into slits of rage. Even after all the demons and vampires and other various entities of evil, Darwin had never seen a more jarring sight.

"_Get out_!" she repeated, shouting loudly. "I don't ever want to see you again! I hate this life! I hate _you_! I wish you'd just them kill me when I was a baby! I wish I'd never been born!"

The surrounding machines echoed her agitation, alerting the on-call doctors and nurses. They made Darwin leave the room –"I'm sorry, sir, but she needs her rest" –with Natalie still screaming her hatred of him even after he left.

That night, he checked himself into a motel across the street from the hospital but couldn't sleep. He merely sat atop the lumpy mattress in the darkness, not even bothering to remove his shoes.

_She hates me…_

_ It doesn't matter whether she hates you or not –she's a Slayer and you're a Watcher. Slayers aren't supposed to be close to their Watchers. As long as she follows orders, the rest is inconsequential._

But Darwin wasn't contented with only a mentoring relationship with Natalie. Not anymore. He was wrong –no, he'd been wrong for the last ten plus years.

K'Shahl had come for Darwin that night. It was an accident how Isabel died. And he'd been so wrapped up in his own guilt and blinded need for vengeance that he'd damn near destroyed his only child to attain it. Much like the doomed Capitan Ahab.

_But she's the Slayer. It's her fate to fight._

No, it wasn't. This was his fight. Natalie was done. He didn't care about fate and destiny. Once she was well enough, he'd take her someplace where she'll be safe. This foolish vendetta was ended. Should K'Shahl decide to finish Darwin off some time in the future, Darwin would deal with that on his own.

She'll never forgive him –not entirely, he understood that. Accepted it. It will take a long time to earn her trust but he would. Whatever it took, he would make those horrible words she'd screamed at him untrue.

At first light, Darwin left the motel and found a flower shop near the hospital. He chose a bouquet of blue lilies. They had been Isabel's favorite –he didn't know which flowers Natalie preferred and was disgusted with himself for it.

_I'll make it all up to her. I'll take her to those parks in Florida. Let her live out the childhood I robbed from her._

Flowers in hand, Darwin made his way to Natalie's room. Unsurprising, the current nurse on staff –having been filled in on the previous day's disturbance –was extremely reluctant to let him inside.

"She's in a very vulnerable state; she really shouldn't be upset like that. We had to give her some sedatives to take in order to calm her down."

After several minutes of assurances and near-pleading, the nurse finally agreed to Darwin seeing Natalie but with the condition that she come along as well to ensure nothing gets out of hand. Since it was the best he was probably going to get, Darwin accepted the conditions and the nurse led the way to Natalie's room.

It was because the nurse was the one who opened the door that Darwin only caught a glimpse of what was inside. But a glimpse was more than enough to burn the image in his mind forever.

Natalie suspended in the air with her bed sheet wrapped round her neck.

The nurse shoved Darwin back and immediately called for help. Help came rushing past him and into the room, closing the door behind them.

He didn't try to assist them. He knew it would do no good. His daughter was very clever and resourceful. They wouldn't be able to save her; she would have made certain of that. In fact, he was willing to bet she'd been gone for quite some time before they had stumbled upon her.

In only a few minutes time, the doctors will clock the young girl's death and elect someone to go outside and tell inform the father. This doctor will apologize profusely for allowing such a tragedy to transpire and if there is anything they can do to ease his pain, they will do it without hesitation.

And Darwin will not hear a word of what is said to him. Because in his mind, all he hears is his daughter's voice yelling her hate of him. Yelling how she never wanted to see him again.

_She's got her wish, hasn't she?_

Darwin's back touched the wall opposite Natalie's former room and he slowly slid down to the floor with his eyes on the door before him.

His hand didn't even let go of the flowers.


	12. December 1991

December 1991

Catholicism teaches its follows that to take one's own life is a mortal sin. And all that die with a mortal sin on their soul burn in Hell.

Darwin and Isabel had both been raised Catholic though Isabel had been far more devote than Darwin was. Although he honestly could no longer claim to believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell anymore –or God for that matter –he didn't want to take any chances.

This was why he refused a service for Natalie, instead only requested an unaccompanied burial. As though if a priest weren't around, maybe God wouldn't know of Natalie's sin and she might pass on to Heaven unbeknownst to Him.

It was difficult, but Darwin had managed to have Natalie's body moved to South America and laid to rest amongst Isabel's mother and sisters. He didn't know where Isabel's body had ended up; the Council had had it removed eleven years ago.

To be completely honest, he had no clue how long he'd been standing at Natalie's freshly dug grave before he realized he was not alone. It could have been minutes or hours. And even after noticing the shadowy figure standing off to the side beneath a large tree, he paid it no mind. Secretly, he was hoping it was K'Shahl finally coming for him. Alas, no –the figure was a man.

"Ah, what a fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Darwin."

It had been more than a decade since he'd heard that voice but it was one Darwin would have recognized anywhere.

Philip moved to stand beside Darwin, staring down at the small grave plot. The spots of gray had taken full control over his hair except in a small bald patch at his crown. Many wrinkles festered about his face, mostly in his forehead, and he looked heavier about the midsection. If he wasn't already, he must be close to retirement.

"The new Slayer has been Called," Philip said. "It seems the original line is back in order. Thought you ought to know."

As if Darwin would ever care about anything like that again.

The older man was quiet for a moment. "It's painful to see you like this, son. I can only imagine how your mother and father would react to all of this. For the first time I find their tragic death to be a blessing. How disappointed they would be if they were still alive now –shamed. You had such great potential, Darwin. Now… now you are nothing."

Was it really necessary to point out the obvious?

Philip seemed to be waiting for some sort of reaction out of Darwin and when he didn't receive it, he let out a heavy sigh. "The great name Holtz reduced to this? Such a tragedy. If only you'd placed more stock in the Council's teachings, all of this could have been avoided. You should've known from the start that the Council knows what's best for Slayers."

Having said his peace, Philip turned and began walking toward the graveyard gates beyond.

"You're wrong."

Darwin's voice brought the elder Watcher up short. "I beg your pardon."

"You know nothing of what is best for the Slayers. You treat them like machines built to obey your every command –to hunt and kill at your disposal while you sit back comfortably and pat yourselves on the back for riding the world of evil when the lot of you are nothing more than cowards too afraid of the dark to fight for yourselves."

Philip's face turned an ugly shade of red. "Now see here, you insolent little –"

But Darwin wasn't finished –he continued speaking as though Philip hadn't said a word. "A Slayer is a person first and a warrior second, always. She needs love and friendship. Needs to have a firm grip on the world around her. Otherwise, what motivation does she have to keep fighting?"

"Motivation?" Philip balked. "She's saving the world from total annihilation; what more motivation can there be?"

Darwin turned around to face his former mentor. "Saving a world she's not allowed to touch or experience. This sort of abstract ideal is the reason Slayers don't last very long."

"Remember where you're standing, boy, and decide whether you have the right to criticize methods that have been put in place centuries before either of us existed."

"I have made mistakes," Darwin agreed without hesitation. "But I have the ability to recognize those mistakes and the foresight to learn from them.

"There has to be a balance. A Slayer must be allowed to live and experience the world. But she must also bear the responsibility of being the world's sole guardian. And the only way she'll ever be able to do that is if she listens to her heart and not the mindless teachings of a society that has lost touch with humanity. One day, _that_ Slayer will rise and she will be glorious and unstoppable. And the Council will be rendered obsolete."

Philip's appalled face changed from red to purple to white to red again. "Obviously you have learned nothing or you wouldn't be spouting such… such _nonsense_!"

Darwin turned back to his daughter's grave, finished with the conversation.

But Philip wasn't ready to be silent. "You have made a mockery of the Council, of everything the Holtz name once stood for –and of me. And I'll see to it that you pay for this insult for the rest of your days. Mark my words."

Thus proving Darwin's point about the Council being out of touch when it came to human connections. Any other person would already understand that Darwin had nothing more to pay.

Mistaking Darwin's silence for victory, Philip smiled smugly to himself then resumed his journey out of the cemetery.

Alone once again –forever alone –Darwin dropped his face into his hands and wept.


	13. Interlude

Interlude

Buffy closed the diary and laid it on her lap, whipping a tear away from her eye. "That's the last one."

The story had proven too powerful for Buffy to keep to herself so she'd taken to reading it out loud. One by one the others had gathered around her like a group of preschoolers sitting for circle time. Everyone had been so engrossed in the tale nobody even reprimanded Xander when he starting passing out _Gummi Bears_ from a bag he'd luckily stumbled upon in his coat pocket.

Willow's eyes were red and her expression was distraught. "Oh my God… that was so awful… he needs a hug –that guy needs a head –we should find him and give him a hug."

Xander fingered the bag of _Gummi Bears_ and –realizing it was empty –crumpled it up and shoved it back in his pocket. "Man, a Slayer and a Watcher… can you imagine if Giles started jonesing for Buffy? Talk about _Crypt Keeper_ creepy."

Giles turned on Xander, offended. "I'll have you know there are many cultures that not only would condone that sort of relation but in fact encourage such a union."

"Um, ew!" Buffy responded with a look of horror.

"I'm not saying I would, merely pointing out that –"

"Guys! I found something!"

Kennedy emerged from deeper in the archive, flipping through a thick leather book in her hands.

"Good timing," Xander chimed in. "You just missed a visit from Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Heffner."

"Oh now that's just ridiculous!" Giles exclaimed.

Xander eyed him. "You're tellin' me you wouldn't wanna trade lives with him just for one day?"

"Well… I… would I have to have his body or my own?"

"Kennedy, speak now!" Buffy ordered. "Please God erase the images from my mind!"

Kennedy, too absorbed in whatever she was reading finally addressed the group. "It's not over. The story, I mean. There're more diaries."

Buffy frowned. "How can that be? I grabbed everything."

"I found these filed further down with the more recent stuff. According to this, Darwin Holtz wasn't Forgotten after Natalie died. He moved to Los Angeles and the Watchers Council totally had him Black Listed."

"Like what happened to all those Hollywood execs back during the Red Scare in the fifties," Xander stated matter-of-factly.

There was a pause as everyone stared at him.

"What?" he demanded slightly miffed. "I can't have historical knowledge of history?"

"He watched _Guilty by Suspicion_," Willow clarified.

"Which was a movie about historical knowledge of historical…history…" Pouting slightly, Xander looked away from the group and began searching through his pockets for more undiscovered _Gummi_ goodness.

Deciding best to simply move on, the others looked to Kennedy.

"Anyway, there's all sorts of records of the poor guy trying to get jobs and the Council majorly career-blocking him. They even managed to permanently delay unemployment. Proving without a doubt what total jerkwads those Council dudes were." Suddenly remembering, Kennedy flashed an apologetic look toward Giles. "Uh, present company excluded, I mean."

"So there's more?" Buffy asked.

"There's a few more diaries in the back; lemme go grab them." Kennedy disappeared once more down the archive.

"Alright, more story time!" Xander exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "Is it too late for a soda run? 'Cause I'm a little parched."

"Xander, I can't believe you!" Willow chided. "This isn't some book reading at _Borders_ –this is somebody's life. You should show some more –"

"Got 'em!" Kennedy announced, dropped several books into Buffy's waiting arms. Then she quickly rushed over to Willow's side and sat down eagerly, giving Buffy her full attention.

Xander raised his eyebrows at Willow who blushed and avoided his eye contact.

"Okay, here goes."

Once more, Buffy began to read.


	14. Part Three: The Vampire

Part Three: The Vampire

February 2000

It was the night of the Chinese New Year –the year of the Rabbit, or something –and as such for Americans, it was a night for celebration. In reality, yet another excuse to drink and light things on fire and watch them explode.

Thus was the reason why Darwin found himself slinking home at such an abhorred hour. Not because he was out drinking with the other festive individuals –he preferred to drink in solitude, personally. No, his late return was because of all the various injuries that resulted from such vigorous merriment.

Since the Council's involvement in his affairs made it so he couldn't even get a job at the local _McDonald's _even if he tried, Darwin had managed to keep himself busy and –mostly –fed by becoming a sort of concierge doctor for individuals that were too poor for proper health care. Most of his clientele were recent immigrants still waiting for their citizenships to go into effect so they could get decent benefits for their families.

And of course the occasional wealthy moron who doesn't wish their parents to catch them drinking and needs a stitch or two after making the attempt to reach the swimming pool from their roof.

Going through the motions, Darwin hung up his coat and keys on the hooks in the hallway then entered the kitchen.

The house he'd been extremely fortunate to rent was a duplex with one entrance in the back ally and another –his entrance –in the street out front. It made it very convenient to avoid being friendly with other residents. Not that he snubbed them whenever he happened across them –he simply did not wish to indulge in idle chitchat about families and other cheerful topics.

Since it was much to late in the night to wait for the oven to pre-heat, Darwin tossed his randomly selected ready-made meal into the microwave. Four minutes and thirty seconds later, he brought his severely over-cooked dinner out to the living room, setting it on the metal TV tray along with a bottle of single-malt scotch and an empty glass.

Settling into his second-hand couch, he picked up the remote and turned on his TV and VCR, automatically playing the tape already inside: _Back to the Future_. He never got round to watching the movie up until a few years ago when he'd gotten the tape free at a local station with a purchase of ten gallons of gas. Such things never really spoke to him before, movies and the like.

But lately, the idea of being able to go backwards in time –to be able to return to a pivotal moment and change the outcome –fascinated him into his near compulsive need to watch this movie again and again.

_Bam!_

Darwin's fork flew from his hand at the sudden loud noise that erupted from his front door. It was almost like a paper being tossed upon his doorstep… if the paperboy was using a baseball-pitching machine.

Muting the sound, Darwin got to his feet and stared at his door, listening, waiting for more. Nothing… besides a new crack in the door that was going to come out of his deposit.

Cautiously, he moved to the window overlooking the street and, using only his fingers, moved the dark curtain aside and peered out.

At first, it appeared to him that someone had thrown his dirty laundry onto his porch. There was a nest of clothing bundled on his doorstop. Then he noticed skin and hair.

"My God!" he gasped in horror. It was a person lying on his welcome mat!

As he was about to rush outside to assist, movement caught his attention. Concentrating against the darkness beyond, he noticed several figures lurking in the shadows across the street.

Vampires.

Lots of vampires.

More than a dozen at rough estimate. And they were all making their way to his house at an almost leisurely pace. Strolling to their assured victim.

Fighting back the panic that welled up inside his chest, Darwin raced down the hall, nearly tripping in his haste. He rushed into his office and threw open the closet door. Yanking down spare sheets and blankets, he located the object of his search: the satchel of weapons he hadn't touched in years.

Too many to possibly battle, Darwin instead grabbed four glass vials of holy water and the largest wooden cross he could find. Running as fast as he could, he hurried to the door, threw the locks back, and pulled it open.

One vampire had the person –a young girl –by the collar, teeth bared. Darwin hurled one of the holy waters right into its deformed face. Roaring in rage and pain, it dropped the girl and fled back into the night leaving a trail of smoke and the scent of burning flesh in its wake.

Seeing one of their own injured, the remaining vampires all rushed forward, snarling and growling like a pack of ravenous lions.

Darwin launched one more bottle, catching two in one blow then moved outside to stand over the girl, holding up the cross.

There were more than he'd originally counted. Not including the three that had fled from injuries, there were at least twenty. Never in all his years as Watcher had he seen such an enormous cluster before.

They paused before the cross, hissing their anger and revulsion. But it wouldn't keep them back indefinitely –sooner or later one or more of them would be willing to brave the holy items and charge forward.

"Right then –time to go inside, little one," he murmured fearfully to the unmoving girl at his feet. "Come on, now."

Wishing he could be more gentle, Darwin grabbed hold of the girl's arm and dragged her back over the threshold, keeping the cross out in front of him. A daring demon managed to catch her ankle and pulled her back a few feet. It got a face full of holy water for its trouble.

Once they were inside, Darwin immediately closed and locked the door, having to remind himself about the invitation law to keep from barricading the door. Strange, he'd expected to hear yelling or growling or banging –some sound of them trying to break their way in to reclaim the child. But there was no noise.

Now wasn't really the time to worry on that. Not with a life hanging in the balance.

Darwin picked up the girl and brought her out in to the living room so he could get a decent look at her. She was so young –fifteen, sixteen –with very long dark hair and pale, pale skin. And she was covered in bloody wounds all over. The bone of her right shoulder was sticking out of the skin.

Plucking his phone from the end table nearby, he dialed 911 with one hand while checking for a pulse with the other. He'd gotten to the first one before he stopped and hung up.

No pulse. No heartbeat. No breath.

The poor girl was dead. He'd been too late to save her.

"Damn it!" he growled, throwing the receiver across the room in a fit of rage. If only he'd reacted sooner, faster –there might've been a –

Below him, the girl moaned.

He jerked back, startled, staring down at the girl. Her brows furrowed in pain and she moaned again.

But… but she'd had no pulse –he was sure of it! How could she…

"Oh dear Lord…"

A vampire! The girl… it, it was a vampire! And he'd invited it into his home!

"Bloody _idiot_!" he reprimanded himself, scrambling to his feet. He had to move quickly before the thing had a chance to wake up and attack.

The bag was still on the floor where he'd left it; he had no trouble finding a stake. Gripping it tightly in his hand, he hurried back into the living room and back to the vampire who still hadn't moved from its spot. Pinning the creature's unwounded shoulder down, he reared back and…

Tears. Twin streams of tears leaked from beneath the girl's closed eyelids.

The sight froze him in place. He'd spent his entire life researching all manners of demons but vampires especially. Long hours stuck in a room bent over book after book, studying, learning everything he possibly could about them.

But he never knew they could cry.

Darwin's arm lowered independently while he gazed down at the tear-streaked face. It… she… looked so helpless. So fragile and breakable. More victim then predator.

_Are you a complete fool? This thing is a creature of darkness and death! It'll slit your throat and drink your life's blood once it gets a chance! Stake it and be done with it!_

Once more, he raised the stake. It was a vampire after all, an unnatural beast from Hell. It had to die.

But… Why were the other vampires attacking one of their own? He'd often read about vampires offering their own lives as penance when they've displeased their master. However, this did not look like mere discipline. It looked more like vampires attacking a human.

_Have you learned nothing from all your years of study? Vampires are evil –it's the first thing you learn from the Council._

But the Council is far from omnipotent; hadn't Darwin already learned that lesson quite clearly. Was it possible they could be wrong about this?

Her lips parted ever so slightly, allowing a tiny whimper to escape.

This time, the arm that lowered the stake to the floor, did so under his command.


	15. February 2000

February 2000

For three days, the vampire girl slept.

And periodically, she'd sob or cry out from a nightmare she couldn't seem to wake up from. The first few times this occurred, Darwin hesitated then came into the room armed with stakes and crosses, concerned this might be an elaborate ruse to get him to drop his guard. But it seemed more likely the girl was simply in too much pain to keep silent and eventually, he began to leave the stakes behind.

As if the sudden discovery of vampires having the ability to dream and cry wasn't astounding enough, there was the physical state of the vampire girl's body itself. Once he'd finally managed to peel off her blood-saturated clothing, he saw dozens and dozens of scars covering nearly her entire body. Some were deep and stretched from aging while others appeared more fresh and protruded. Unless Darwin was yet again mistaken, vampires do not scar; this girl had to have received these years before she was turned, while she was still human.

And if she was already so young as a vampire, how young had she been when she incurred this many injuries?

Though the girl's appearance and bizarre mannerisms had altered Darwin's previous conceptions of vampires in general, he was still too paranoid about falling asleep with a vampire in his home. Thus, while the girl slept in his bed, Darwin found himself with too much time on his hands.

Of course, there was another reason he couldn't sleep wasn't there?

The vampires. Every night at sundown, they came, surrounding his home, keeping to the shadows and darkness. Sometimes there were more than that first night and sometimes less. But they never did anything but watch the house. Even now, without looking, he knew they were still there outside, waiting. Never acting; always simply… waiting.

So, to keep himself occupied and awake, he dug through some old boxes until he located his unused Watcher Diary and began to write. He started with the day he first met Isabel, describing her in as much detail as he could muster. Then, he chronicled all their adventures and experiences together –the things he was never able to tell another soul while she was still alive.

He filled the first diary in one night then tore the pages out of a leather-bound journal he'd purchased to keep track of patient information prior to updating to a computerized system and continued writing in that.

It felt… rather strange to be writing all of this. Not less or more painful but a different sort of agony. It made him feel more like an observer in his own past then a participant. His faults were illustrated so blindingly clearly and yet his triumphs were also painted more vividly. Like gaining perspective on something you once believed you knew backwards and forwards.

The afternoon on the third day, Darwin ventured outside for supplies –meaning, he'd run out of space in his second diary and desired more. There was a tiny corner bookstore down the block amidst a shopping plaza. It mostly sold bibles and tourist trinkets but it had a decent selection of journals that met his needs.

Before returning home, Darwin made a quick stop at the grocery store. Under normal circumstances, he detested coffee and wouldn't let a single bean over his threshold. But these were anything but normal circumstances and two nights without sleep was finally starting to affect him.

Selecting the least revolting flavor he could find, Darwin turned to go check out but paused. His eyes found the large blue letters spelling out _Meat_ on the wall at the back of the store.

Without really making the final decision, he headed down the aisle and up to the counter of the Meat Department. There was a charming young fellow working behind the glass, eager to help. If he thought Darwin's request was strange, the lad was far too professional to show it.

The teenager at the checkout counter wasn't so conscious of her revulsion as she scanned and bagged his order. He even thought he heard an utterance of "freakazoid" or something along those lines as he walked out of the store.

Outside in the brilliant sunshine, Darwin glanced once more into his shopping bag just to be absolutely certain he really had done what he had done. Thick red liquid sloshed within the container, staining the clear plastic a grotesque pink color.

Was he really going to _feed_ it? He had to, didn't he? Without "nourishment", she'd never heal those wounds properly.

Of course, once it did heal, there was a high likelihood that it would simply seek out "nourishment" out of his hide. No matter what the appearance, he was still dealing with a vampire. Vampires hunt and kill; it is their nature.

Completely unresolved, Darwin headed home. Stopping to collect his mail, he flipped through bills and junk while he pushed open his door and closed it distractedly with his foot.

The vampire girl stood in the living room near the bedroom door.

Darwin froze in the hallway. Because it was the middle of the day, he didn't have any of his weapons or holy items other than a tiny golden cross he wore round his neck, which would hardly provide him much protection. He was completely unarmed and helpless.

His only saving grace was the thick stream of sunlight bisecting the living room from the hallway coming from the window to the left. Then there was the spotted light coming from the window next to the door behind him.

There was a chance he could make it to the door but if the vampire was bold enough, she could dart across the sunlight with only minimal damage and drag him into the windowless kitchen.

Neither Watcher nor vampire said a word or moved a muscle. The ticking of the large clock hanging on the wall echoed in the silence, counting down the long seconds they stood there just staring at each other.

Darwin couldn't help but notice just how different this girl appeared now as opposed to how he'd seen her the last few days. Her dark, dark hair hung down to her waist, covering nearly half her face. Originally, he'd placed her age at between fifteen or sixteen. Now, seeing her standing in the shadows with her shoulders pitched high and curled in on herself, she seemed more of a child –twelve, maybe thirteen.

Because of the severity of the injury to her shoulder, Darwin had been forced to bind her right arm to her body after first popping the bone back into place. That and the multiple bandages he'd placed all over her body made her look unsteady and breakable. It was difficult for Darwin not to cross the safety of the daylight; she looked like she might collapse at any moment.

The silence was finally starting to unnerve the Watcher. "Hello," he said, his voice much calmer than he felt; his heart beat heavily against his chest and he prayed the vampire couldn't hear it. "You're finally awake. I was certain if… or, or when you might…"

The girl merely stared at him, bringing her unbound arm around her chest as though she were cold. Her hand was clenched in a tight fist and the light in the room glinted off something silver peeking out from between her fingers.

He knew what she held onto so tightly; he'd found it in the hallway while he was cleaning up the bloodstains. A small silver heart pendent she must've been wearing –the clasp was broken and though he tried, he hadn't been able to fix it and simply left it on the stand beside the bed. Across the surface of the heart written in clear crystals was the word "always".

Yet another piece of the puzzle but it still didn't help bring the picture to clarity.

Thinking about the necklace reminded Darwin of the item he carried. Never taking his eyes off the vampire before him, he slowly pulled the plastic container of pig's blood from the bag.

The girl's eyes immediately flickered over to the blood and her body did a strange sort of spasm.

Heart hammering away at his ribcage, Darwin walked to the edge of the light-barrier and placed the container within. Reaching into the kitchen, he grabbed the broom and used that to push the blood across the sunlight over into the shadows within her reach.

She didn't move toward it.

"It's not human, if that's what you're wondering," Darwin spoke up, replacing the broom. "You'll not be getting that in this house, you understand?"

Something passed over the girl's features; some tension seemed to go out in her shoulders. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought she looked… relieved.

Now she bent down and lifted the container with her free hand, shifting the necklace so she could grasp the blood while still keeping hold of it.

It was when she shifted to pick up the blood that he noticed. One of her more severe injuries had been a star-shaped wound in the center of her chest just below her collarbone. The thick gauze he'd taped to her chest was showing a bright red spot.

Without thinking about his actions, Darwin reached outward. His hand passed through the safety of the daylight and into the shadows beyond.

Within reach of the vampire.

Time froze.

Terror consumed his mind and petrified his body. He was dead now –the vampire was going to grab him and tear into his throat. Of course he had no one to blame but himself for treating this creature like a human.

Death never came.

Instead of seizing the obvious opportunity, the vampire shrank back, cowering away from the Watcher. As though _she_ was afraid of _him_.

The motion was so automatic it was unsettling. It was as if she'd been expecting abuse this whole time.

A few weeks ago, Darwin had been called in to examine a young teenager who had been viciously attacked by the son of the family she cleaned for. She'd reacted to Darwin's touch the same way.

Every scar suddenly flashed across Darwin's mind. He'd spent many long hours wondering how she could have attained so many scars. Now he had a much clearer picture than he would have liked.

Slowly, he took his hand back then stepped across the protective light and into the shadows with her. He wasn't expecting an attack anymore and she didn't make any move toward him. She only watched him with obvious caution, curling into herself as much as her bound, wounded shoulder would allow.

Still moving with deliberate slowness, Darwin reached around his neck and unhooked the chain to his necklace and pulled it –his only defense however meager –free from his body. Then he dropped the chain and cross onto the end table next to him, out of easy reach.

That voice inside his head that always seemed to point out when he was being a bloody fool was there as per usual indicating his idiocy but it was oddly quieter now. As though it were only protesting out of habit.

The vampire girl looked down at the discarded necklace then back to him. Though her face and body made her look exceptionally young, her eyes betrayed her true age. An old intelligence shined through her dark, chocolate colored eyes. She understood Darwin's gesture for what it is –an olive branch of sorts. Neither could trust the other, not entirely anyway, but he was willing to make the attempt.

Carefully setting the plastic container on the table beside the cross, the girl stepped up to Darwin, leaving her free hand down at her side within sight, and gave him a very slight nod of approval.

She still jumped when his fingers made contact with her skin but he didn't fault her that. As gently as he could, Darwin peeled back the spotted gauze to reveal the wound beneath.

"Ah, just a popped stitch," he told her. "Must've happened in your sleep. Just have a seat here and we'll have you fixed up in no time. Let me get my bag."

He paused then took up the container from the end table and handed it back to her. "Here. You won't heal properly if you don't… eat." He struggled with the final word, unsure of what the right phrasing would be. He was highly out of his debt.

The girl seemed extremely reluctant to take the blood from him. Something resembling shame or regret passed through her features. But she did take it and settled herself down on his sofa.

She didn't drink from it until after he'd gone to retrieve his medical bag and even then merely took a dainty sip. For some reason he couldn't understand, she didn't want him to watch her drink.

With great care and precision, Darwin cut away the old stitches and replaced them. All the while, he maintained his slow and calculated movements so as not to frighten her again. Honestly, it was the simplest stitching he'd ever done –she did not move the slightest. It took him some time before he realized it was because she wasn't breathing.

"There we are," he announced, only because the silence was beginning to get to him again. Normal people made noises –shifted in their seats, scratched their arms, shuffled their shoes –but this girl was unearthly silent. Another obvious reminder of what she truly was. "Now, just need to cover it up and you'll be right as rain."

He gathered up the square of gauze and gingerly pressed it to her skin. Holding it in place one handed, he reached for the white medical tape to secure it.

Water, frigidly cold, dropped onto his hand. As though someone were holding an ice cube and allowing it to drip onto his skin. Looking up, Darwin immediately pinpointed the source.

Tears were streaming down the vampire's face, dripping off her chin. Still she made no sound, no movement. Other than the tears, you'd never have guessed she was anything more than a statue.

It was startling; there was absolutely no warmth to the tears whatsoever. But why would there be? She being a vampire and without body heat, she couldn't have produced the normally heated tears of a human.

Darwin finished applying the last piece of tape then gathered up all his supplies back into their respective places within his bag. Again, the girl only watched silently, tears still running down her hallow cheeks.

Once everything was put away, he sat back down on the sofa beside her. Reaching outward exaggeratedly, he gently brushed a few tears away with the tips of his fingers.

Now she moved, turning her head and her eyes to look upon him. Confusion danced across those ancient eyes but there was something else hidden much deeper. Hope, perhaps?

Darwin moved his hand to the back of her neck and gently pulled her to him, folding her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. Unsurprising, her body tensed from the contact but she didn't struggle or try to pull away.

He felt her free hand reach up and grasp the sleeve of his arm. But there was no fear of attack in his heart. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt almost as if she were afraid he would disappear.

Finally, she let herself go; thick sobs wracked her frail body making it quake dramatically. She buried her face deeper against his chest and soon he felt his damp shirt cling to his skin.

And Darwin held her, gently stroking her hair while she wept. It was a very surreal moment for him; here he was, comforting a vampire in his own home. It went against everything he was taught his entire life –from his parents and Philip to everything he'd learned while working with the Council and Isabel.

So why… why could he feel nothing wrong with this?


	16. February 2000 II

February 2000

Living with the vampire was… well _not_ like what living with a vampire should have been according to Darwin's imagination. But there was also a sense of catharsis in it as well.

Though the vampire girl still refused to –or simply could not –speak, she still had this presence about her that made herself known whenever she was in the room with him. That presence seemed to chase away a bit of the loneliness within him.

Darwin ended up nailing a bed sheet to the wall to cover up the windows so the girl could sit in the living room with him during the day. Instinctually, she was still wary of him as was he but as the days went by, both of them slowly began to relax around each other. She also didn't seem to mind his strange compulsion to watch _Back to the Future_ again and again (the compulsion which also drove him to finally locate the second and third in the series).

It was nearing March now and still Darwin knew absolutely nothing about this ageless creature. Clearly this girl had been abused both in life and in death but by whom and why still remained a constant nagging mystery. Then there was the small matter of the army of vampires that still prowled outside once the sun set each day.

Of course, he couldn't very well inquire about it, could he? Not without sounding like an insensitive git about it.

_Still, I wish I could at least know her name…_

Then came the night when Darwin slipped up.

At some point in the night, he'd fallen asleep at the sofa –he had no way of knowing just how long he'd been asleep, only that it had to have been for quite a while. The blanket he used when he normally slept out here was draped across him when it should have been folded up neatly in the corner of the room where he'd left it this morning.

A deep sense of dread filled him as he woke. He was alone in the room and the bedroom door where the girl slept was open and also empty.

Autonomously, Darwin's hands immediately sought out his throat, inspecting for injuries. Nothing.

"Hello?" he called out tentatively, not really hopeful for an answer. "Are you there?"

Shoving the blanket off, he got up and moved to the office adjacent to the living room and popped his head in. Maybe she was using his computer. Empty as well. The kitchen?

The kitchen was attached to the hallway leading to the front entrance. There was a door leading from the kitchen to the master bath but he'd blocked the door with a large spice rack and shelving unit leaving the hallway as the only entrance.

Stepping into the hall, he was almost immediately assaulted by a harsh frozen breeze coming from the door. The door which hung wide open.

Anxiety rushed through him. Did she leave? She was still so severely wounded; if those vampires were still out there…

Panicked, Darwin raced to the door, stopping just inside the threshold mindful of the vampires in the event they were still lurking about. He spotted her on the ground a little down the driveway with a blond teenage boy standing over her.

Darwin recognized the boy –he'd often seen him amongst the other vampires over the last few weeks. He always struck Darwin as strange because in all the times he was out there, the boy never shifted to his vampire features. If not for his mannerisms and the company he kept, Darwin might not have been certain of what he was.

The boy bent down and took a handful of the vampire girl's hair before savagely backhanding her across the face.

Darwin damn near rushed outside at the sound of the blow. But his Watcher instincts were still with him to some extent and halted the rash impulse. Instead, he flew back down the hall and into the kitchen as fast as his feet could carry him.

In the highly unlikely event that the vampire girl turned hostile toward him, Darwin had prepared. He'd hid several weapons throughout the house within easy reach should such a thing occur. At first, he'd felt guilty for even thinking of the possibility. Now he was euphoric over his paranoia.

Grabbing his weapon of choice, Darwin ran back down the hall and outside. Shockingly, there were no vampires awaiting him, ready to tear him limb from limb. There seemed to be solely the boy who was now straddling the vampire girl, tearing away at the bandages around her shoulder and chest.

With the boy being too close to use his weapon without endangering the girl, Darwin came up to them and drove the sole of his shoe right into the demon's face.

Snarling, he fell backwards, rolling away from Darwin and the girl into a crouch, ready for a fight. Darwin stepped over the girl and placed himself between her and the growling vampire, raising his weapon.

The vampire actually blinked in confusion at the weapon before letting out a taunting laugh. "Seriously? A _Super Soaker_?"

"A _Super Soaker_ filled with holy water and with a twenty foot reach," Darwin explained giving the plastic handle another pump for emphasis. "Seriously."

The vampire looked cagily from the water pistol to the girl still on the ground. The very instant he took a miniscule step forward, Darwin unleashed a bit of holy water. He raised his arm to block his face and the skin of his hand immediately began to smoke.

"_Bastard_!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "I'll kill you for that!"

"Oh, please feel free to come closer." Darwin smiled pleasantly. "I've never actually shot a vampire at close range with this much pressure. I'm dying to know what'll happen. Do you think your skin will catch fire or simply melt off your bones?"

Now the vampire boy stepped back but his eyes still darted back to the girl as she slowly rose to her feet. Darwin chanced a small glance at her himself –blood ripped from a cut above her eye and her jaw was already beginning to purple. Additionally, her shoulder appeared to be re-injured leaving her right arm hanging uselessly at her side.

A surge of rage filled the Watcher and he had to fight the urge to empty the squirt gun onto this monster. "Get back inside," he told the girl, keeping his eyes forward.

Out of the corner of his eye, Darwin saw the girl hesitate where she stood. At any moment the rest of the herd of vampires could rain down upon them and yet she _hesitated_? What was she thinking –was she mad?

He turned to look at her again. Her eyes were on the vampire in front of them. Her expression bore the deepest most painful longing Darwin had ever seen on another person before.

"Get back inside!" he ordered more loudly, snapping her out of whatever reverie she'd been in.

Her face jerked to Darwin, startled then slowly moved back to the boy. After a beat, she finally turned and made her way back to the safety of the threshold. She had a slight limp now.

"_No_!"

In the blink of an eye, the blond vampire was on top of Darwin, batting the _Super Soaker_ away. He wrapped his hands around the Watcher's throat and began to squeeze while his face twisted and morphed into its true facade.

"She's _mine_!" the demon spat in his face, squeezing even tighter. "You won't take her from me! No one will!"

Spots immediately danced across Darwin's vision as he struggled pitifully against the vampire teenager. His mind abandoned him, thinking only of the need for oxygen and providing no help whatsoever.

How ironic… the vampire he feared would bring him death wouldn't be the one to take his life…

_Smash!_

The water pistol seemed to just explode against the blond vampire's head. With a demonic roar, it released Darwin and fell back, batting away at the flames bursting on its face.

Vision still blurred, Darwin could only feel the girl's presence beside him, guiding him back to the door. She shoved him over the threshold accidentally causing him to stumble and fall onto the carpeted hallway and hurried inside right after.

There was a massive tremor as the still slightly smoking blond vampire plowed into the invisible barrier baring it from entering. It batted at the barrier, snarling and screaming in rage, trying to break into it, as impossible as it was.

Shaking his head, trying to clear his vision, Darwin looked up at the girl. She was standing several paces away from the door, watching the insane vampire trying to claw its way inside. That same pained expression filled her features. For one frightful second, Darwin actually thought she might go to that monster again.

Before such a fear could be realized, he quickly picked himself up, brushed past the girl and slammed the door shut, hoping it hit the creature right in its distorted face.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking? Going outside like that?" he yelled, whirling around to face her, absolutely beside himself with anger. "Never mind that crazed demon out there but what if the rest of them had been out there tonight? They would have ripped you apart! Tell me how you could be so…"

The words died in Darwin's mouth as his gaze finally locked on hers. Tears swam in her eyes and her free hand was clutching at her shirt where her newly repaired necklace rested beneath the fabric.

More and more pieces…

Now he didn't know what do to. He wanted to comfort her as he had before but she'd been entirely too reckless to ignore. However she did save his life.

With a tired sigh that hurt his bruised throat, Darwin gestured toward the couch. "Go sit. We'll need to rewrap those bandages."

She obeyed silently as always and he quickly cut away her torn bandages and replaced them. She barely even winced when he had to reset her shoulder. Afterwards, he helped her to the bedroom where he left her alone to her grief.

The girl spent the entire day in the bedroom after that dreadful night. And Darwin spent his time boarding up the windows so no one could look in or –more importantly –out.

All day he waited for the nightmares that usually wreaked havoc upon the girl when she slept and forced her to unconsciously summon him to her side while she cried out. But only silence came from the closed door.

It wasn't until sunset that she stepped out from the room. And she was wearing the torn, bloody clothing she'd had on that first night he'd found her on his doorstep.

And finally, after more than twenty days of nothing, she spoke to him.

"I have to go."


	17. February 2000 III

February 2000

"I could have sworn I'd thrown those out."

The shock of finally hearing the vampire girl speak bombarded Darwin's mind with a multitude of questions. Unfortunately, that was one that managed to break free.

She ignored his comment, turning her attention to the boarded up window. "They're growing restless. They fear displeasing their master. It won't be long before they do something drastic to flush me out."

Her voice was a contradiction –strong yet soft, confident yet timid –her physical body warring with however many long years she'd spent on this planet. And seeing her standing before him in tattered, bloodied clothes with such a fierce look of determination upon her face Darwin had a difficult time imagining how he could have ever believed her to be so young. Now she looked at least eighteen, maybe nineteen.

"I was under the impression the Master lived at the Hellmouth north of here," Darwin said once his mind finally was able to focus again.

She shook her head. "Terminology. The Master Vampire was killed nearly four years ago."

That surprised him. "Are you sure?"

"All vampires felt his death whether they served him or not. I was no exception."

"Then… that boy…"

She shivered and touched her newly bandaged shoulder almost as an afterthought. "No… he's… I guess you could say he's their master's second in command or General or something. But he's not the one they're afraid of."

"But he is the reason you want to leave now?" The thought rekindled some of the anger Darwin had felt at her irrational behavior the previous night.

Her eyes fell. "It's complicated."

"Yes, that's an understatement. But if you expect me to simply step aside and allow you to walk to your death you'll have to offer me more than that."

The girl turned her face away allowing her long hair to obscure her expression. "Believe me if all they wanted was to kill me I wouldn't have stayed here for as long as I have."

He frowned at her. "What could be worse than death?"

Her answer came in a whisper. "Living…"

Natalie's image came to Darwin before he could stop it. It was very startling just how similar the two girls were –both strong yet unsure of their own potential and acting completely opposite of how Darwin always perceived based on what they were.

But now was not the time for errant thoughts. He resumed the conversation. "If such is the case, then why go to them at all? Why not stay here?"

She turned back to him with a look of sheer desperation. "Don't you see? The more I stay the more danger I put you in! I won't let anyone else die because of me!" She winced as though regretting her words.

It might have been more polite to simply set such a painful matter aside but after so much silence and so many unanswered questions that wasn't a possibility. "Is that why he hates you so much? That vampire?"

"That wasn't hate," she corrected soberly. "That was love."

Darwin's eyebrows shot straight to the ceiling. "You can't be serious? That was a bit more than a lover's spat I saw last night –he meant to kill you! Besides, how can a vampire love anyone –it has no soul."

Now the regret was Darwin's. How easy it was to forget the girl he'd spent the last month with was a vampire herself.

If she was offended by his statement, the vampire girl's blank expression didn't show it. "No, vampires can love. They experience all the emotions humans do because they were once humans themselves. But without their soul, they feel those emotions much more strongly than you could ever understand."

"But… but that just doesn't make any sense. How can you love without a soul?"

"Because a soul is not a heart; it's a conscious designed to differentiate between what's right and what's wrong. It holds back a human's more basic instincts."

Darwin nodded. "Such as the urge to kill."

Again she looked away from him and toward the boarded up window. "Think of it like a dam and emotions as the water. As long as it's there the water will stay back with only a little trickling in. But if it's suddenly gone, there'll be a terrible flood."

"I'm sorry… I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

After a few seconds of thought, the girl said, "Let's say there's a man who falls in love with his best friend's wife. But she is perfectly content with the one she married so he says nothing and learns to live with his feelings alone. Now if you took away that poor man's soul, not only would he confess his love but he would also stop at nothing to make her his own regardless of how it would destroy her."

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Darwin took a small step toward the girl. "Then… is it safe to assume that… you have a soul?"

Her teeth began gently chewing on her bottom lip before she finally faced him again. "Yes." That one simple word held such weight and agony that it seem to drop her age once more from eighteen to closer to fifteen.

Meanwhile, this sudden revelation about knocked Darwin off his feet. "This is… I mean… how did you get it back?"

She tucked a strain of her long silky hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture. "I didn't… I… I've always had it. Even after I became like this."

"Is this a normal occurrence? Are there more vampires like you out there?"

"I don't know… no, I- I don't believe so."

"But it is possible to recreate this, yes? Say if someone was bitten by a vampire and turned one could theoretically turn that victim into someone like you." The idea was exciting –imagine the possibilities! All of the strength and speed and endurance of a vampire while still able to retain your humanity. "It would be a miracle."

"There is _nothing_ miraculous about this existence!"

The sudden fierceness of the girl's tone made him nearly jump out of his skin. She whirled around to face him and her eyes were so wide and full of agony it knocked the breath right from his lungs.

"This is a curse! Everyone I have ever cared about has faced a terrible, brutal death and it's all because of me!"

She yanked down the collar of her shirt, showing the white gauze beneath. "I received this wound as a punishment for trying to live as a human! This same arrow that has marred my flesh two months ago bore its way through my lover's heart to get at me –not enough to kill him but enough so that _she_ could find him and turn him into a monster!"

Once more she dropped her gaze to the floor and hid behind the tresses of her hair. "You may see a pretty golden cage from where you stand, Mr. Holtz, but from here all I see are bars."

Contrition filled Darwin and he instantly regretted having spoken his amazement aloud. But there was something else the girl just said that gave him pause.

"How did you know my name?" he asked warily.

The girl's shoulders hunched a little and she looked up at him again with a shameful expression that was simple enough to read.

"You read my journals." He didn't make it a question.

"I was afraid," she admitted quietly. "It's not an excuse –just the truth. I'd seen you writing so often in those… and I don't have weapons I can hide for protection."

Now it was Darwin's turn to feel ashamed. "That wasn't… I wasn't planning…"

"Please don't," she interrupted him, giving him a kind smile. "You're a Watcher and I am a vampire. We're enemies."

"I don't see us that way," he told her honestly. Because it was the truth –just like she said. Yes he'd hid the weapons away but only because he felt he was supposed to; the whole time he'd felt ridiculous and paranoid about it. But deep down, he no longer thought of this unique creature as a threat.

"You trained Slayers to kill my kind," she pointed out.

"I trained Slayers to battle the forces of darkness. You've clearly shown me that you're not evil."

"But I still live through taking the lives of other living beings."

"And humans do the same –cows, chickens, lambs. Even vegetables are considered living, are they not?"

"_Stop_ it!" she cried out, that desperate edge creeping back into her voice. "Stop trying to justify me! I'm just a projected manifestation of the guilt you feel for your daughter! That's why I have to go!"

Her harsh words stung –more so because there was definite truth to them –but not as much as the prospect of her leaving. "Where will you go? Not back to him and that master of his?"

At the mention of the word "master", the girl's body tensed but the face she showed Darwin was composed. "It doesn't concern you."

"It damn well concerns me –those were my shirts you bled through. Do you honestly believe I'll let you go back out there only to get hurt again, possibly even worse than you were before?"

"I already told you, it's too dangerous for me to stay here. They're too desperate; they won't simply wait anymore." She pointed toward the door, indicating the vampires that were most likely out there as they spoke.

"They're not invited so they can't come in," Darwin argued. "And they can't burn the house down or they'd be risking your life."

"No but they can pump carbon monoxide into here and kill you in your sleep then come collect me after you're dead. This is a duplex; your ventilation system is connected. It would kill the family living behind you as well. Is that what you want?"

Darwin's mouth opened to rebut except he had nothing to say. She was right –it would devastate him to know he would be responsible for the loss of innocent life.

His silence prompted her forward and she laid her hand upon his cheek, smiling tenderly at him. "You are a good man, Mr. Holtz. You have shown me more kindness than I've seen in a very long time and I will forever be grateful to you. Believe me, it's better this way. Forget I was ever here and let your life return to the way it was."

With those as her parting words, the vampire stood on tiptoe and kissed the Watcher softly on the cheek before moving past him down the hall toward the door.

Return to the way his life was? What life was that? Sitting on the couch watching fantasy movies and eating TV dinners that never cooked through the middle no matter how well you follow the directions? This was the life she was willing to sacrifice herself for?

_No!_

Darwin ran ahead and squeezed himself around the girl, placing himself between her and the door.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, stepping back with an almost fearful expression creeping into her features.

"Stopping you from making a horrible decision," he said. "You can't go out there and I won't let you."

She opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off. "I know it's not safe here –I agree with that –but this isn't the answer either. This cannot be the only way –I refuse to believe that. There has to be a place we can go somewhere on this planet where you'll be safe."

Anger narrowed the vampire girl's eyes and for a rash second, Darwin feared she might finally attack. But he did not move from his spot. The only way he was going to let her go out there was over his dead body, however likely that scenario seemed to be.

Abruptly, however, the anger washed away from her and her eyes seemed to focus on something outside of the hallway. "A place where I'll be safe… that is your condition for allowing me to leave?" she asked, a melancholy sort of tone in her voice.

Something about the way she phrased the question put Darwin on edge. "A guarantee of your safety is what I'm asking. Why?"

"There is a place I can go –somewhere I can heal without threat. I won't be welcome but they are honor bound to provide me with asylum whenever I'm in need."

"And you didn't think to mention this a bit earlier?"

"I told you they won't welcome me there. I have a problem with forcing people to do things against their will."

Darkness swam through her eyes and her left hand touched the back of her neck as if it was trying to reach farther down her back. Her back… where all those old scars festered.

Whatever it was past and now she was eyeing Darwin with the same fierceness as before. "Nothing can harm me once I'm there. If I agree to go there, will you move out of my way and let me pass?"

"Oh but of course, yes. Because, you see, I was born yesterday and completely believe you won't just throw yourself to the lions once I open this door."

"But you just said –"

"What I said," he interrupted again. "Was I want a guarantee of your safety. And I'm not going to get that guarantee unless I personally see to it that you reach your destination in one piece. Now, tell me where we're going so I know whether to bring a jacket or a bathing suit."

The girl blinked wide, surprised eyes up at him for a long moment. Then she let out a humorless life and smiled wistfully.

"All of you Watchers are the same," she whispered to herself.

"I beg your pardon?"

She ignored his question. "Izumo. That's where my safe place is."

He thought about further inquiring about her comment but decided not to push. "Izumo, Japan?"

She nodded. "It's a city located in Shimane. Just outside the main city is the Zikomo family shrine –where the chrysanthemum flowers bloom. That's where we're going."

Darwin grimaced. "Japan? That was a bit farther than I was expecting."

"Well, if you don't think you can manage it…" She reached for the doorknob.

Darwin gently slapped the top of her hand. "If you even think of touching that door I'm going to nail every single crucifix I have to it, understood?"

The vampire girl winced slightly and dropped her gaze. Regret settled in the pit of Darwin's stomach. He hadn't meant for his words to be taken seriously –it was just a joke.

"You don't have much time," she told him, still refusing to meet his eyes. "Vincent…" Her voice caught in her throat and a tremor rocked through her body.

So, that was that boy's name.

"H-he'll try to coax me out again tonight." She seemed to be forcing the words out quickly. "And when that doesn't work, he'll grow angry. And that's when the others will try to force me out."

"So what you're telling me is I have until tomorrow night to secure supplies and transportation clear across the globe."

"There is one more thing."

"Of course there is."

The girl's eyes finally met his again with an unwavering gaze. "I'll go along with whatever plan you come up with. However, if something should go wrong, I want your word that you'll turn me over to them and save yourself. I won't let you get yourself killed trying to save me. Is that understood?"

All it took was a cursory examination of the girl's expression to know there was no getting around this. If Darwin did not agree to this term, she would most likely figure out a way to sneak out on her own. And if he was to have any hope at all of getting them out of here alive, he couldn't waste any energy with keeping an eye on her so she wouldn't bolt.

So, he asked the one question that had been plaguing his mind ever since the girl first awoke all those days ago. "What's your name?"

The question seemed to confuse her for a moment before she remembered that though they'd spent all this time together, they never actually had been properly acquainted yet.

Lightly chewing on her bottom lip, the vampire girl looked up at Darwin and answered, "Emily."

"Emily," he repeated. Then he extended his left hand to her. "Well, then, Emily, I guess we have a deal."

The girl, Emily, stared at the offered hand for a moment before she finally brought her own up and grasped his, sealing the deal.


	18. March 2000

March 2000

"Tomorrow, then? You're sure?"

The captain nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry for all the delays."

Darwin shook his head. "No, please, we've already imposed on your generosity enough. Thank you."

He looked past Darwin. "I hope your niece is doing better. She hasn't been looking well these past few weeks." He hesitated. "My crew says they can hear her screaming at night. It disturbs them."

They weren't the only ones disturbed by it. Ever since Darwin had brought her to the docks and showed her the cargo ship that had graciously offered to take them along to Tokyo Harbor, Emily had changed. Sure she'd been willing to go down into the hold where the day couldn't harm her, but she rarely spoke and stayed curled in a tight ball, rocking ever so slightly back and forth. A few times, Darwin had even caught her muttering to herself –always the same thing over and over.

_Quiet as a mouse. Stay quiet as a mouse._

To be honest, he was terrified for her sanity. Though the Watcher in him kept reminding him to be more concerned that, because of all the delays with traveling and ship malfunctions, he hadn't brought enough blood for her. She hadn't eaten properly in more than four days.

Himself and a crew of more than ten people were trapped aboard a vessel in the middle of open water with a ravenous and insane vampire.

"They deserve to die."

Darwin's head snapped back to the captain. "I'm sorry?"

"The folks that did all that to her." He inclined his head toward the hold. "They deserve to die like dogs."

"Bit late for that," he mumbled.

The captain didn't hear him. He thumped Darwin's shoulder hard. "You did the right thing taking her away from that. You're a good man, Mr. Holtz."

Darwin winced and rubbed at his now sore shoulder. "Well, let's just see on that." _See if my actions don't get everyone on this ship killed at the very least._

He bade the captain goodnight then secured the door and made his way down the stairs to the belly of the ship.

Emily wasn't there.

Fear coursed through Darwin. Unconsciously, his hand slipped into his jacket pocket and wrapped around the small cross he kept in there.

"Emily? Where are you?" he called, working to keep the fear from quaking his words. What would he do if she really did attack? He didn't have it in him to kill her but he couldn't very well allow her to feast upon the others.

Somewhere to his left there was a small sound –a sort of hissing. When he closed his eyes and really concentrated, he thought he could make out that same mantra he'd often heard Emily repeat.

Cautiously, Darwin moved toward the voice. It took him a moment to find the girl –she'd hidden herself well. There was a cluster of desks stacked and wrapped and tied to the ship in the darkest corner of the hold. He found her curled up beneath one of them, pressing her face against her knees and whispering to herself.

He crouched down and peered at her. Again she had suddenly transformed to a young twelve or thirteen year old girl. A frightened and traumatized little child.

"Emily," he said, speaking very softly and gently.

She started at his voice, shoulders pitching up to her ears but then she remembered where she was and ever so slowly, they lowered back down. She looked up from behind her knees; her long hair only allowed half her face to show.

"You shouldn't be under there. It's not good for your shoulder or your other injuries to be huddled up like that."

She didn't move and Darwin didn't make her. Instead, he settled down on the ground and leaned his back against the desk –fortunate for him the knobs and handles were all removed for better storage for the journey.

"You've been someplace like this before, haven't you?" he asked. Silence. "Is that where you got all those scars?"

Still nothing.

"I can't help you if you won't talk to me, Emily."

Again, she didn't speak.

With a heavy sigh, Darwin moved to rise and leave her in peace. His jacket caught on something, keeping him in place. It was Emily, holding onto his jacket tail like a toddler clutching at her mother's apron strings. In spite of the hair still blocking half her face from view, Darwin could clearly see fear reflected in that one large chocolate colored eye.

He sat back down and she withdrew her hand.

"It was a basement," she finally said in the smallest voice he'd ever heard. "I don't know how long I was there –a few years, I think."

"What happened?"

A bitter edge crept into Emily's voice. "It was the get-rich-quick scheme of the eighteen century; steal a nobleman's daughter and sell her back for a handsome purse. Most of the time it worked. Only those two had the misfortune of selecting me to ransom off."

He turned to look at her. "Your family couldn't afford to get you back?"

That one eye locked on him. There was such rage and burning hatred it caught Darwin's breath in his throat.

"They didn't _want_ me back," she corrected. "My mother was attacked on her way home from the market one evening. That's how I came to this world –through violence and horror." She turned her face away. "You should've seen the way she used to look at me. A constant reminder of the most terrifying event of her life."

Darwin swallowed the bile crawling up his throat. "That's horrible. But, placing all the blame on you for what happened… that's not right."

Emily tucked her hair behind her ear, staring down at the floor. "Times were different back then. When that sort of thing happened, women weren't labeled as victims. More often than not they were blamed for somehow allowing it to happen. And their husbands were seen as weak, unable to protect their women. My father was a proud, proper man of society. My birth –my very existence –was a great insult to him.

"Naturally he took my abduction as a gift from God. Not only would he be rid of me but in a socially acceptable fashion. He always used to say that I was a devil child, born of sin to live and to die in sin…" She laughed cynically. "Looks like he was right after all."

"Bollocks to that!" Darwin exclaimed. "If you'd been my daughter –no matter how you came to me –there's not a thing I would not have done to keep you safe."

Emily stared at Darwin in absolute astonishment and he instantly wished he'd just kept his fat mouth shut. Not so long ago, she'd accused him of projecting his affection and guilt over his daughter onto her and now he went and said something like _that_!

_Bloody brilliant as always, Holtz_.

He turned back around, giving his forehead a contemptuous thump. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… said that. I just…" He sighed. "Could you please just forget I said any –gah!"

He'd glanced over his shoulder and Emily was suddenly sitting right next to him, about giving him a heart attack. She hadn't made a single sound.

Now she winced apologetically. "Sorry…"

"No, no, quite all right." His voice still sounded a pit over-pitched so he cleared his throat a few times to collect himself. "I should be used to it by now. Anyway, tell me more about where we're going. Izumo, yes? Isn't that the birthplace of the legend of the _Yamata no Orochi_ and the fallen Sun God _Susano ô_?"

"It is. But the shrine we're going to isn't located in the city."

"And… you're certain you'll be safe there?"

She nodded. "The grounds are protected by a _kekkai_ or mystical barrier designed to keep evil from entering the shrine. Any unholy creatures can't set foot beyond the gate."

Darwin frowned at that. "Um, please don't take offence by this, but wouldn't that also include you? I mean, you are a vampire after all. And vampires are unholy beings, soul or no soul, right?"

Emily seemed to consider something while idly playing with a strain of her hair. After a long silence, she said, "You have a cross in the right hand pocket of your jacket."

Darwin's face flushed with embarrassment. "Um, th-that was for… I, um, w-well –it's not what you –"

"It's alright," she interrupted his stuttering, giving him a reassuring smile. "Could you show it to me, please?"

Again, he frowned his question but obeyed her request. Shifting so he wouldn't accidentally touch her with it, Darwin extracted the small metal crucifix and held it in the palm of his hand, tense and ready to cover it up as soon as it began to hurt her.

As always, Emily did not react like a normal vampire. She faced the cross with no worry or pain. In fact, one would probably describe her expression as… downhearted or even regretful.

Without warning, she reached across her body and laid her hand on top of his.

"What are you doing –are you mad?" he cried, yanking his hand away and grabbing her wrist with his free hand. "Open your palm –we'll have to treat it before it blisters!"

Almost reluctantly, she uncurled her fingers. There was no smoking, no blistering, not even a red spot showing where the cross had made contact with her flesh.

There was _nothing_!

He looked back down at the cross in his hand, thinking perhaps maybe it had broken or something while in his pocket. How could it have had no effect? No, it was perfectly in order.

"Wha… wha…" He couldn't seem to get the question out.

Once more Emily reached across and this time plucked the cross from his him and laid it across her palm. With a breathless sigh, she held out her hand in front of him.

"It isn't just my soul that makes me different," she confessed in a somber voice.

Darwin wasn't paying much attention. He was still waiting for the flames and the burning and the pain to start.

She began slowly twirling the cross between her fingers staring intently at what she was doing so she wouldn't have to see the flabbergasted expression on the Watcher's face. "One night I managed to get my hands on a weapon and overpower my drunken captors. I wasn't even that far away from my home –only a few hours walk. But when I got there…"

The cross stopped moving. "My elder brother was the only one home. He was only one who ever saw me as family and he welcomed me home with open arms. But I didn't know… didn't know that my brother had long since left this world.

"He bit me and made me drink from him. But then he was interrupted. Two priests were still trying to salvage the town. One ran off with me while the other… the other replaced me as a meal."

The hand holding the cross began to tremble violently. Emily lowered it to her lap. "The funny thing about this pastor… he'd been accused of practicing witchcraft. No one could prove it so he wasn't hanged but no one ever went to his church again. But they were right about him. He was a practitioner. But he wasn't evil –I know that. And I don't blame him for… for what happened.

"After he brought me to his church, he lay me on this alter. It's hard to remember much –I was already fading away by this point. I remember hearing him chanting in Latin but I just assumed he was praying for me. I recognized a few words – _animam conservare, deamonis_, and things like that. Then he made me drink something… something that burned all the way through my body. All I remember after that is the pain, so much pain."

Her expression suddenly darkened. "But _she_ remembers. She remembers everything."

Seeing such a frightful appearance almost made Darwin not want to ask, "Who remembers?"

"Eve."

The way Emily said the name made it seem more like a curse than an actual being. "And who or what is Eve?"

"A creature of absolute pure evil –worse than any other demon or vampire in this world. She feeds on misery and pain even more than blood.

"You see, the spell that priest was trying to perform was meant to preserve my soul and expel the demon from my body. And it worked. My body literally broke in half and created two separate beings: Eve and me."

Emily held the cross back up. "Holy items don't have any effect on me. And I don't burst into flames when direct sunlight touches me –I'll still die but it's not as instantaneous as a normal vampire. It feels more like I'm being cooked from the inside out.

"Eve is the opposite from me. Even something as tiny as this," she waggled the cross "would petrify her where she stood. And she can barely move when the sun is up no matter how well sheltered she is.

"But she was born from me and because of that we are bonded with one another. When I sleep, she sends me dreams of the things she does. Or sometimes… sometimes she'll just send me memories of my own to torment me."

Gingerly, Darwin reached out and plucked the cross from Emily's hand with two fingers, _still_ waiting for something to happen with it. This whole thing was preposterous! Ridiculous! It couldn't have been real!

He stared down at the cross in his hand, squeezing it tightly in his fist. It certainly felt normal enough. And… there was the incident with the water pistol filled with holy water. He'd just assumed she'd thrown it. There was no way she could have smashed it at such close range without being sprayed herself. Then again, if he was to believe the story, she wouldn't have to worry about such a thing, would she?

"If…" His throat was suddenly very dry and he had to swallow a few times before he could speak. "If this… this Eve person –if she is your demon part… what exactly does that make you?"

Her eyes fell and she turned away from Darwin, a heartbreaking sadness spreading across her face. "I don't know. I do need blood to survive but I can go a very long time without it. I have all the strengths of a vampire and my heart does not beat and I'm immortal –I've been around for more than two hundred and fifty years counting from when I was born. But… truthfully, I don't know what I am."

"And the priest? He couldn't help you with some answers?"

"Dead men tell no tales." She glanced over at him. "Eve killed him just as I was coming to then burned the church to the ground. I've spent more than a hundred years trying to find a copy of that spell or someone who might know more about whatever it is we are. But there's been nothing."

He frowned at her. "Why would she do that?"

"Because she read something she didn't want me to see. Possibly the real reason why she's been trying to get me to go back to her and why she doesn't just kill me."

"The real reason?"

"I have a theory… Eve and I were once one being and even now we're still connected. So what would happen should one of us die? Will we both go back together again? Or will one drag the other into death with her? The former absolutely petrifies me. But… I wouldn't mind the latter. If it meant dragging her to Hell with me, I'd happily end my own existence."

Darwin's hands curled into tight balls, nails digging into his flesh. But the pain was welcome –it chased away the images that tried to appear before him. He could almost smell the antiseptic scent of the hospital…

"Don't let this make you complacent," Emily suddenly snapped, rousing him from his haunting memories. "You're right to be cautious of me. I may not be the sort of vampire most Watchers are familiar with but I'm still extremely dangerous. You should never trust me explicitly."

Darwin stared at the girl beside him and spoke honestly. "I don't believe that."

"You should." Her head whipped around to face him, eyes narrowed in anger. "I feel the bloodlust just like any other vampire –more so because I also feel it through someone who relishes the kill. And even though I've never taken a human life, my hands are far from clean. I'm a demon. Never forget that."

He didn't reply. This was just going to have to be one of those agree/disagree moments.

The pair sat together in silence for a long time. Darwin listened to the sounds of the water splashing against the hull and the sporadic groans echoing throughout the pipes around them.

"What will you do… once we reach the shrine?" Emily asked after several minutes.

Darwin thought about it. "I don't know," he finally answered. "Clearly I can't return to that house. Not with the legion of the undead lurking about."

"I'm sorry… you lost your home because of me."

"No, I lost a _house_ because of you. If I learned nothing else from Isabel, it's that –" He froze, sucking in a breath.

Emily leaned closer to him, worried. "Mr. Holtz?"

It took him a bit to collect himself. "Sorry, I… I haven't spoken her name aloud for a very long time."

Gently, she set her hand down on his. Even after nearly two months together it still surprised Darwin how cold her skin was. "Tell me about her."

"You already read everything –through illicit means but still there's nothing more to know."

She smiled up at him, the action bringing life into her eyes and making her look older again. "Tell me anyway." Her eyes lowered to the floor in an embarrassed gesture. "I like the sound of your voice. It… takes me out of this place."

He stared down at her, her words replaying in his mind. How could anyone like her be considered a demon or monster of any kind? The thought was ludicrous to him.

"Very well… don't blame me if you get bored. It all began back in 1977. When I first laid eyes upon her, it was love at first sight. Of course she absolutely _loathed_ me but that was because…"


	19. April 2000

**Author's note**

Okay, so it's been bugging me a lot lately and I feel I should just say something so I can move on. I wrote out Emily's story more than eleven years ago –even before I came up with the concept for _The Forgotten_. In light of everything that happen in Japan with the tsunami and the earthquakes, a lot of people have been getting on my case about the stories which I reference Japan. I thought about changing the destination in _The Forgotten_ out of respect for the people who have and are suffering over there but I just feel it more of an insult to do that (if that makes sense). So if anyone out there is offended because of my mentioning Japan, then I apologize for that –it's not my intention to offend but this is her story and I can't change it. I hope you can understand.

April 2000

_Today is the day_, Darwin decided as he peeled his reluctant eyes open. Out the window, the sky was a multitude of colors –reds, oranges and purples –indicating that it was either very early or very late. According to his watch, dusk was just beginning; even after more than two weeks in Japan, he still hadn't gotten used to the time change. Of course, being mostly on a vampire's nocturnal schedule probably didn't help his internal clock much either.

Rising off the futon, Darwin moved to the window and peered out. Emily and Yuri were both sitting in the flower field next to the house. Yuri was picking up random blossoms and showing them to the vampire who smiled and commented pleasantly.

In the more than two months since he'd known her, this was the first time he'd actually seen Emily look happy. And, he supposed, that was the reason behind his initial decision, wasn't it?

_Today is the day I say goodbye to her._

It was painful, the thought of leaving her, but he'd really worn out every plausible excuse he could come up with. Her wounds were nearly completely healed –she probably didn't even need to keep wearing the sling for her shoulder anymore. Really, when he came right down to it, she didn't need him anymore.

Coming here a week and a half ago, Darwin never imagined ever feeling comfortable enough to leave Emily in this place. When she'd said she wouldn't be welcomed, that had been quite the understatement.

When the shrine owner –a one Kozue Kobayashi –caught sight of the vampire, he just about jumped from his skin. Later, Emily explained that the last time she'd come to the shrine, Mr. Kobayashi was only nine or ten years old –seeing her after more than twenty years looking the exact same as she had must have been a frightful sight.

Eventually –and rather reluctantly, he might add –Mr. Kobayashi guided them past the large front gate of the shrine and introduced them to his wife Rio and their five-year-old daughter Yuri. Whereas the mother and father were extremely warily of Emily, the young child grew instantly attached.

The shrine itself was incredible. Past the large wooden archway, there was a beautiful garden filled with herbs and other medicinal plants to the left. To the right was the sleeping quarters and housing for the family. And in the middle was the actual altar itself –a small platform roughly six feet by six feet set at the top of a flight of stairs. Up there was a large bell that one would ring and pray to for good fortune.

And surrounding the entire shrine on all sides were thousands and thousands of chrysanthemum blossoms filling the air with the scent of trees and the hills with the colors of autumn.

A soft tapping noise sounded at his door a few moments before it slide aside. Mrs. Kobayashi stood in the doorway.

"I was just coming to wake you," she said offering a smile. Out of the family, young Yuri was the only member that wasn't fluent in English. Her eyes caught sight of the bag he'd already packed the previous night. "Are you leaving?"

"Um… well, yes. But Emily will be staying until she's completely healed."

She nodded. "Of course, yes. Please, come to the dinning room. I'll prepare you something to eat."

"Uh, that's not necessary, really."

"I insist. And you will need to tell us your destination so that we can make the arrangements."

That confused him. "Arrangements?"

"Emily-sama told us we are to make arrangements for your travels when you finally decided where you wish to go."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly impose any further."

"It's no imposition, I assure you. Emily-sama has already given us more than enough to cover your travel expenses."

"She… she has?"

Mrs. Kobayashi gave a small laugh, which she covered with a hand. "It surprises you that one such as her has wealth?"

"Well, I hardly see many vampires waiting in line at the bank. Even ones as unique as Emily." He shrugged. "Maybe I've just been going to the wrong branch."

She smiled uneasily at his humor. "Well, it is thanks to her generous contributions that we've been able to maintain this shrine."

"May I ask, what is Emily's connection to this shrine?"

Surprise colored Mrs. Kobayashi's face. "She never told you?"

He shook his head. "Only that she came here around 1901 and became close with the owner and his granddaughter. Beyond that, nothing."

"Hmm, that's strange. Considering how much you and Zikomo Hokuto-sama have in common."

"'In common'?" he repeated. "What do we have in common?"

"Why… you were both Watchers, of course."

Maybe it was the jetlag or just the long sleepless nights but the words didn't seem to register to Darwin. "I beg your pardon?"

"You didn't know? The Zikomo family was a prominent family of Watchers dating back several generations. The Zikomo name as well as the ties to the Council ended with Hokuto-sama's death in 1912."

Darwin brought a shocked hand to his mouth. Was that what she meant by that comment about Watchers the night before they'd fled Los Angeles? She'd known a Watcher before?

"Forgive my asking, but if the Zikomo family is as prestigious with the Watchers Council as you suggest then why is it I've never heard of them –any of them –before now?"

Mrs. Kobayashi's face fell sadly. "Because the Council believed Zikomo Hokuto-sama had disgraced them by his actions regarding Emily-sama. They claimed he betrayed them and made the world forget he and his name ever existed."

A tinkling metallic chime echoed in the room. Mrs. Kobayashi pulled a cell phone from her pocket and checked the display.

"Please excuse me, Mr. Holtz." She brought the phone to her ear as she turned around. "_Hai, mushi mushi_, Rio _desu_." She slid the door shut behind her.

Darwin just stared at the door, absolutely baffled by what he'd just heard. If what Mrs. Kobayashi said was accurate, that would mean the Archive of the Forgotten was _real_! But that couldn't be true. Philip used to tease him about its existence when he was a boy. _Don't worry, Darwin, if you fowl it all up, no one will remember it –or you for that matter, so chin up, son._ It was a joke, not real. Wasn't it?

And why wouldn't Emily have told him that Hokuto Zikomo was a Watcher? After everything else she'd told him of her life, why leave that out? There was no way he'd be able to leave without first asking Emily about this.

_Damn it all…_

He slid open the door and came down the small steps. He moved around the altar and toward the garden where he'd last spotted Emily playing with Yuri.

Something grabbed him from behind and flung him backwards. He collided solidly with the side of the altar, the wind knocked straight out from his lungs. When he landed on the ground, he felt something sharp scrap across his brow and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

Below him, the earth seemed to be shaking in tune with someone's footsteps. Gasping for breath and trying to fight through the panic filling his body, Darwin looked up at his attacker and utterly forgot how to breathe yet again.

It was K'Shahl! The hulking monstrosity that not only took his beloved Isabel away from him but the thing that had mutilated his own daughter right before his eyes.

Wait, no –there was something different about this creature. It seemed shorter and wider. Its claws weren't as curved as Darwin remembered.

Not K'Shahl but a demon of the same breed.

The demon quickly crossed the distance between them. With no time to recover from the shock of everything, Darwin could do nothing as one enormous clawed-hand grabbed hold of his shirt collar and hoisted him off the ground effortlessly. It brought Darwin right up to its smiling face –the blood and rotted meat smell of its breath nearly made him faint were it not for the excessive pounding of his heartbeat inside his ears.

The beast raised its other claw into the air. "_Sayonara_… Watcher…"

"_Put him down_!"

Both demon and human turned to the voice. Emily stood several yards back, glowering at the creature in a way Darwin had never before seen from her.

Slowly, the creature lowered its hand, an even broader smile pulling its grotesque lips apart. "Now you look… tasty."

"_No_!" Darwin yelled, batting his hand against the demon's forearm to draw its attention back to him. "No –you came for me! She has nothing to do with this! Just kill me and be on your way!"

But the demon was too preoccupied with the girl before it. It dropped Darwin carelessly without so much as another glance at him. He landed painfully on his side, practically feeling at least one rib break from the fall.

"For God's sakes, _run_!" he shouted at Emily. _Please, God, please don't make me watch another one die…_

But she too ignored him, her gaze solely on the monster lumbering toward her.

"Ready to dance?" it beckoned, leering at her.

Wordlessly, Emily moved her right arm up and around, pulling the strap of her sling free from her neck, then flung it aside and out of her way. Never lowering her gaze, she moved her shoulder in a circle, popping it several times.

Once she was certain of herself, she dropped her chin, bringing up her right hand in a tight fist while keeping her left lower down, hovering around her chest. Then she brought her right leg back pivoting her foot outward and bending both her knees, keeping her weight equally balanced in both legs.

Darwin's eyes about bulged straight out from their sockets in shock. He'd recognize that posture anywhere.

It was a Slayer's stance.

And now he understood why Zikomo might have incurred the wrath of the Watchers Council. He'd knowingly and willingly trained a vampire to be a _Slayer_!

The demon, however, did not share in Darwin's revelation. In fact, the mere fact that Emily intended to fight it seemed to amuse the brut. With an intimidating roar, it rushed forward at full speed toward the much smaller girl.

But Emily wasn't fazed. She too raced ahead, intending to meet the creature head on. Just before the two collided, she threw her body forward and dropped down to her hands. Springing upward, she flipped gracefully over the demon, landing a kick to the back of its neck while in mid-air.

Off balanced, the creature could not stop its momentum and smashed into a large tree in the garden. Branches broke at the immense tremor the collision caused, dropping atop the demon. Snarling viciously at Emily, it grabbed a particularly large branch and hurled it like a javelin at her.

With unbelievable speed, she dipped her body to the side and batted the projectile away one-handed. But the branch was merely meant to be a distraction, giving the demon enough time to make its way to her and catch her off guard.

It backhanded her so hard the blow nearly knocked her from her feet. Then the monster grabbed hold of her long hair and used it to slam her down onto the ground.

She cried out in pain and barely had enough time to bring her arms up to block the demon's massive foot from shattering her skull. It continued to brutally stomp and kick at her relentlessly leaving her with little choice but to curl into a ball and block as many blows as she could.

Darwin did not think about what he was doing. His body moved much too quickly for his brain to protest the action.

Pushing himself to his feet, he took up the branch Emily had deflected and rushed right up to the demon too preoccupied to notice his approach. Rearing the branch back like a cricket bat, Darwin swung as hard as he could smashing it against the side of the creature's head.

Naturally, the wood splintered and the demon hardly even moved. But the audacity was enough to distract the monster from Emily for the half-second it took for it to turn and slam the heel of its hand into Darwin's chest.

It felt like he'd been the one hit with the bat. Once more the oxygen fled from his lungs and he found himself on the ground gasping.

Meanwhile, the demon hovered over Emily and yanked her left arm up at a painful angle. "First, I rip you apart piece by piece," it sneered at her, taunting. "Then I'll eat your heart right in front of him!" Then it began to twist and pull at the arm it held.

There was nothing Darwin could do but watch on in horror. Had he any breath left at all, he would have screamed out her name… but it would have been the wrong name.

Suddenly, Emily jerked her body to the side, hard. A ghastly pop echoed and the arm the demon held suddenly fell limp and unmoving. Without the strain of her arm to hold her down, Emily drew her feet beneath her and propelled herself upward, bringing the crown of her head into the demon's chin.

Dazed by the blow, it stumbled backward, losing its grip on Emily's now useless arm. But she wouldn't let up. Bringing her knee up, she launched into a jump front kick, hitting the same spot and further rocking the creature back. Then she brought her uninjured arm up and, spinning for extra momentum, cracked her fist into its face.

Unable to recover, it dropped down to a knee, shaking its head to try and clear it.

Emily paused, standing over the demon. She gripped her left arm tightly and gave it a sharp tug, popping the socket back into place. Immediately, she wrapped both arms around the demon's neck and pulled backward, not giving it a chance to get back to its feet. She pushed off into the air with her feet then dropped with all her weight down to her knees.

_Crack!_

She let go. The demon flopped over to its side, its head hanging at an awkward angle. It did not rise again.

Emily fell forward, catching herself on her hands. She winced and let out a small hiss of pain at her various injuries. But she recovered fast and was back on her feet, making her way to Darwin's side.

"Mr. Holtz? Mr. Holtz, are you alright?" she inquired, worry etched on her expression.

For a very long while, all he could do was stare at her in absolute awe. He simply could not believe what he'd just witnessed here tonight.

"Mr. Holtz? Please, say something." Her voice was on the verge of panic.

And so he said the first thing that came to mind. "Have you ever thought about cutting her hair?"


	20. April 2000 II

April 2000

Fortunately, Darwin hadn't broken anything as he originally believed. Unfortunately, this did absolutely nothing to slow the agonizing pain coursing throughout his body. No, the six aspirin tablets did that.

Emily was covered in deep purple and black bruises but she insisted she was fine –more worried for his welfare. She insisted he allow Mr. Kobayashi to drive him into town so he could be checked out by the hospital but he declined. He was just achy, that was all. It wasn't like he'd gotten a concussion or anything of the sort… he hoped.

More pressing was the issue of just how this demon managed to slip in past the _kekkai_.

Mr. Kobayashi was the one to answer that. After Emily warned him that she'd felt a tear in the barrier, he'd gone searching the land and spotted someone taking up a chant just beyond the gates. But when Kobayashi'd tried to approach the stranger, he had produced a charm and vanished from sight.

Now the three of them sat at the dinning table, trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

"You are certain this is the same sort of creature that had been hunting down Watchers?" Mr. Kobayashi asked Darwin.

"Without a doubt," he answered. "But I still don't know what it is –even after all these years."

"It's a Ha'Shan demon," Emily spoke up.

Darwin stared at her. "How do you know that?"

"During my research into my own origins, I came across a book that mentioned the demons of Old, meaning the ones that walked this earth before the dawn of man. The Ha'shan were one of the oldest and most powerful to be cast out of this world. But they were all supposedly banished to another dimension."

"Where did you find this book? Do you still have access to it?"

She shook her head. "I found it in Germany but it was lost during the Nazi regime among all the book burnings that occurred."

"Do you remember anything else? Anything that might be helpful?"

She shook her head. "Nothing we don't already know –they're incredibly strong and very difficult to kill. They were one of the few races of demons that could be considered a ruling class."

Darwin nursed at his temple where he could feel the pins and needles of a migraine appearing. One of the ancient demons? No one has seen hide or fang of any of these creatures in thousands of years. They had all simply vanished… until now.

Mr. Kobayashi took a quick sip from his teacup. "There have been a lot of rumors circulating about Watchers being called back to England, retired or active, but I simply assumed it had something to do with the problems they've been having with their Slayers."

Both Darwin and Emily stared at Mr. Kobayashi. "Pardon, did you just say Slayer_s_? Meaning more than one?" Darwin asked.

Mr. Kobayashi looked at him. "You did not hear? Currently there are two active Slayers."

He baulked. "How… how is that even possible?"

"I don't know how, just that it is so."

"What problems are they having?" Emily asked.

"Well, one of the Slayers apparently turned to the side of evil and began killing humans and demons alike. I've heard she is currently in an American prison."

A prison could never hold a Slayer. Did that mean the girl was there by choice?

"What about the other?" Darwin asked.

"Well, from everything I've heard, she is very…" He struggled while finding the right word and looked to Emily. "_Kikai na_."

Darwin looked to Emily as well. "What?"

"Outlandish or strange."

Mr. Kobayashi nodded. "Yes, outlandish."

"How so?" he asked Mr. Kobayashi.

"She doesn't do things normal Slayers do. She often accepts help from normal humans who also know of her identity and her Watcher was actually fired for defying Council order to protect her.

"And, the most incredible of all, almost a year ago, this Slayer actually stopped taking orders from the Council altogether. She still remains at one of the Hellmouths as its guardian but under her own volition."

Darwin couldn't help the smile that stretched his lips. Poetic, really –if only he could see the look on Philip's face.

However, his amusement faded just as quickly as it had come. His mind was working through everything he'd discovered over the last twenty plus years with K'Shahl and more recently with what he'd just learned from Emily about the Ha'Shan.

A wave of ice-cold fear spread throughout Darwin's body. "They want to destroy the Council. To kill all of the Watchers in this world."

"What would that accomplish?" Emily inquired. "Watchers don't battle demons, the Slayers do."

"Think about it: where would the Slayers be without Watchers to train them? All that power with no knowledge –it be would the equivalent of giving a child a rifle and dropping them into the middle of a battle field without showing them how to use it. She'd be cannon fodder.

"And now all of the Watchers are moving to one central location like quail on a hunting plot."

"But the Council has wards and mystical barriers in place, yes?" Mr. Kobayashi asked.

"Look how easily they penetrated the _kekkai_ and this is old magic which is significantly more powerful than the more modernized versions the Council has adopted. And with the new Ha'Shan attacking here it means K'Shahl isn't acting alone anymore. If he brings an army of those things to London –without the help of the Slayer…"

He couldn't finish the thought. Though he was in no way, shape or form a fan of the Council he still understood its importance. Without Watchers, the new Slayers would never know their destiny and the world would have no guardian. No one to stand in the way of K'Shahl returning the Old Ones to power and whipping the human race completely out.

"I have to go to London," Darwin realized aloud. "I have to warn them of what's coming before it's too late."

Abruptly the door behind them all slid open and Mrs. Kobayashi stepped into the room.

Emily was on her feet so suddenly Mr. Kobayashi startled visibly. But not Darwin this time –kudos to him.

"Yuri _wa daijobu desu ka_?" she asked; Darwin could decipher the meaning only due to her concerned inflection.

After everything had settled and the creature was dead, Emily and Darwin had discovered that little Yuri had bore witness to the entire ordeal. She and her mother had been stuck up inside Yuri's room all this time.

Without warning, Mrs. Kobayashi slapped Emily across the face as hard as she could.

"Rio!" Mr. Kobayashi was on his feet now. "_Nani o shite iru_?"

She ignored her husband, glaring dangerously at the vampire before her in a way that brought Darwin out of his seat, ready to… well, he didn't know what this situation would call for but he was ready nonetheless.

"Yuri _wa daijobu de arimasen! Anata no… osore_!"

Emily stared at Mrs. Kobayashi with wide shining eyes.

Mr. Kobayashi grabbed his wife's arm and tried to pull her from the room. "_Usai_!" he hissed at her through his teeth, brow curled in panic.

"_Usai ja nai_!" she shouted, ripping her arm from his grasp. She stayed focus on Emily. "_Anata wa akuma desu_!"

Darwin wished they'd switch to English. Then again, from the heartbroken expression on Emily's fallen face, perhaps he truly did not want to know what was being said.

Mr. Kobayashi wrapped his arms around the enraged woman's waist and dragged her from the room. As they vanished behind the door, shouts of "_Kirai ga! Kirai_!" echoed through.

Slowly Darwin turned his attention back to Emily who stood with her eyes closed and hands clenched.

"I suppose that wasn't her inviting you for a girl's night outing."

The attempt at levity died tragically. "She's afraid of me," Emily whispered.

Darwin threw a quick glance over his shoulder. "Didn't seem that way to me."

She opened her eyes but did not look at him. "Yuri. She saw what I did to the Ha'shan and now she's afraid of me. And Kobayashi-san… Mrs. Kobayashi hates me for hurting Yuri like that."

Darwin didn't know what to say to her. So he stayed quiet, laying a hand on her shoulder just to remind her that he was there.

She reached up and touched his hand appreciatively then moved past him toward the door. He watched her go.

How could he leave her here alone after all this? It wasn't the _kekkai_ he worried over –that was already back in place –but Emily herself. She'd been so fierce and strong during the fight with the Ha'shan but now she looked nearly as lost and vulnerable as the first night he'd spoken to her.

But there wasn't time. He had to leave for London as soon as possible to warn the Council. Surely she'd understand.

Darwin headed back to his room for his things. He used the phone to ring for a taxi to take him to Izumo Airport. It took him a great deal of time to order it –if he ever decided to return to Japan, he promised himself he'd learn the language first.

He'd hoped to be able to say a farewell and thank the Kobayshis for all their help and hospitality –Mrs. Kobayashi's outburst aside –but this was probably for the best. Just to slip away unnoticed.

Darwin moved briskly around the altar, giving a quick glance to a small chip where his head at connected. Once he passed the garden and flowers, he reached the enormous archway and stepped beyond the safety of the _kekkai_.

There was already a white taxicab waiting out front. And leaning up against the wall next to an overnight bag smoking a cigarette was Emily.

"I already took the liberty of canceling the cab you ordered," she told him, dropping the cig and stamping out the butt with her shoe.

Darwin sighed –he probably should have expected something like this. "You're not coming with me."

She said something to the driver then approached him. "You're going to need me if you're planning on fighting the Ha'shan."

"Believe me I wasn't planning on fighting anything. I'm just going to warn them, that's all. Let them deal with the Ha'Shan."

"And if you're too late? If K'Shahl and the Ha'Shan attack, what will you do? You said it yourself, without the Slayer they're defenseless. You need me."

"Emily, do you understand what you're saying? We're talking about walking into the very heart of the Watchers Council! You're a vampire –they won't give a damn whether you have a soul or not. They'll simply stake first and ask questions never! I will not let you throw yourself into the lions' den!"

"And I won't let you die because of me!"

Darwin opened his mouth to rebuff but a sudden thought occurred to him and made him reconsider his words. "How did Zikomo die, Emily?"

She was very well practiced at maintaining her composure but there was definitely something passing through her eyes. Darwin's words hit a nerve.

"Now who's projecting guilt?"

Those eyes narrowed at him. "I am not letting you go alone."

"I didn't bring you here to go gallivanting off trying to save the world," he pointed out. "I brought you here so you would have a place where you can stay protected."

"I've released the Zikomo family from their bond to me," she said simply. "They are no longer obligated to care for me."

Anger burned in his face. "Get back in there and undo it, right now."

"After what you saw do you really expect me capable of something like that? I will not enslave a frightened family just to save myself."

"Damn it, Emily!" Dropping his bag to the ground, Darwin reached out and grabbed hold of Emily by the arms, in a fit of desperation. "You are the only thing I have left in the world to care about; I will not bring you with me on a suicide mission!"

She did not flinch at his touch as she used to. She met his gaze unwavering and said in a controlled voice, "And you are all I have."

Darwin stared at her.

"Now you understand why I can't let you go alone."

He did and he tried to be angry about it but couldn't. "I can't take you to the Council," he told her gently, removing his hands.

"There has to be an alternative," she reasoned.

"…there is," Darwin suddenly realized, the answer coming to him in a moment of clarity. "There's somewhere we can go. Someone who might listen to us."

"A friend?"

He picked up his bag. "I suppose we'll just have to see."


	21. Part Four: The Council

Part Four: The Council

April 2000

Traveling with a vampire across continents when time is of the essence proved very difficult for Darwin. Whereas a normal flight path from Japan to London would take approximately thirty hours or so –with two or three plan changes along the way –this journey took more than a week. Emily offered to ride in the cargo hold of the plan to save time but he declined.

Still the trip had turned out to be somewhat educational for him as well. Along the way, they'd encountered several vampires and lesser demons prowling about. And Emily stepped up to the task, taking them all out with relative ease.

It reminded him of the old days when he and Isabel traveled the world taking out nests and covens. Naturally there were many differences with how the Slayer and the vampire fought. Isabel always moved with a flair and finesse to her style whereas Emily was strictly an offensive fighter not worrying about protecting herself during battle. Of course she was a vampire and the same injuries that might stop a Slayer wouldn't affect her quite the same way.

But she was very rusty and her skills needed some polishing. During their time trapped indoors by the day, he would give her some advice and even practice sparing with her. He wasn't in phenomenal shape but he could manage his own and found her to be a very willing student.

"Perhaps, in life, you were a Slayer potential?"

"Somehow, I sincerely doubt that."

"That would make you the Vampire Slayer-Vampire."

That comment granted him a well-aimed pillow cushion to the face.

He had to admit, Darwin did enjoy their travels together. But now as he stood before a very familiar door, all that joyfulness transformed into agitation and fear. This could all go so horribly wrong. But the only alternative meant an absolute death sentence for Emily and he couldn't have that.

Therefore, with a heavy reluctance, Darwin raised a fist and rapt twice on the door.

Honestly a part of him hoped there wouldn't be anyone at home. Or maybe that there was a new family that lived there with no forwarding address. Darwin could apologize for the disturbance and leave London behind having tried all avenues available to him. Then again, he still had a conscious.

Locks clicked and chains rattled. The brass doorknob twisted and finally the door pulled back. An old man stood in the doorway looking rather disheveled, as though he'd been interrupted from something important and was very cross about it.

"May I help you?"

"Hullo, Philip," Darwin said, his throat dry and rough.

Philip's face went almost as white as his hair as he peered closer at Darwin from behind thick spectacles. "Darwin? What are you doing here?"

"I've come to talk to you. I have something very important to discuss with you and there isn't a lot of time. Lives are at stake."

"What are you talking about?"

"Please, Philip. Five minutes –that's all I need. And…" Now Darwin hesitated. "And there is one other thing I must ask of you. I need you to take a bit of a leap of faith for me."

Philip narrowed his eyes questioningly as Darwin turned to the dark shadows behind him and waved a hand. Emily materialized seemingly out of nowhere. She carefully moved to stand beside Darwin on the doorstep.

"I need you to invite my friend into your home."

The older man looked from Emily to Darwin and back again before withdrawing from the threshold in shock, further into the house. "That is a _vampire_?" he demanded, appalled.

Darwin winced at his tone. "It's not what you think."

"Darwin, have you gone completely mad? What are you playing at? Bringing a vampire here, to my home? Is this some sort of revenge you've got planned?"

"Philip, please, let me explain," Darwin implored, raises his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "She's not like other vampires. She won't harm you; I give you my word. Just let me prove it. Do you have a cross handy or some holy water?"

Philip stared at him in absolute befuddlement. "What?"

"If I use something of my own you won't believe it. Give it here and I'll show you what I mean."

With extreme reluctance, Philip reached into the pocket of his sweater and produced a small wooden cross. Darwin stretched out a hand and Philip, not trusting enough to leave the safety of home, tossed it at him.

"Now watch."

He nodded at Emily. She stepped forward and rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, exposing the flesh of her arm. Darwin pressed the face of the crucifix atop her naked skin.

When nothing happened, Philip's eyes about popped from their sockets. "What… how is possible?"

"Invite her inside with us and I'll explain everything." When the older Watcher still hesitated, Darwin moved closer. "Once upon of time you believed in me, Philip. There must be a part of you that still does, even just a little. You were like family to me, Philip; you raised me for the better part of ten years. All I'm asking is for you to trust me now. Please."

Something Darwin said seemed to get through to the old man because, warily, he focused his attention on Emily and said, rather brokenly, "I invite you in."

"Thank you," she replied politely stepping over the threshold after Darwin moved inside.

"Now, Darwin, tell me what sort of business you've been up to."

They moved to the dining room where Darwin told Philip everything he knew about K'Shahl's plans and the Ha'Shan that have been hunting down Watchers. Emily remained quiet in the background for the most part, standing on the opposite end of the room from Philip out of respect. Only chiming in with the knowledge she'd obtained about the Ha'Shan at Darwin's prompting.

In the meantime, Philip listened at rapt attention, leaving only briefly to make a pot of tea and absorb everything he'd heard. Other than that, he never interrupted or spoke or asked any questions at all, allowing Darwin to get the entire tale out. It took much longer than the five minutes he'd promised but Philip didn't complain.

Once Darwin had concluded, Philip sat for a very long while, quietly sipping from his teacup. Darwin's own offered tea was sitting on the table, untouched. Philip hadn't offered Emily anything.

"Sounds like you've been through quite the ordeal, Darwin," he mused, brushing something off the front of sweater.

Hope and relief flowed through Darwin. "Then you believe me? You'll inform the Council of my warning?"

"Of course not."

Darwin frowned at him. "What?"

"Come now, Darwin, did you really think I'd believe such a fantastic tale? Now I don't know what your game is but you'll not use me as a way to get back at the Council."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. For years he'd always thought of Philip as a caring and understanding sort of fellow. Now, Darwin was overwhelmed with a strong surge of anger at the automatic dismissal. And he couldn't help but feel… disappointed as well.

"I'm not lying, Philip! This threat is very real! The Council is in danger right now as I speak."

"If this is such an enormous threat then why are you the only one who's figured it all out? Surely someone at the Council would have noticed something."

"Not while the Council is in total chaos over losing hold of the Slayer."

Like Emily did before, Philip kept his expression controlled at Darwin's words. However, even after all these years apart, Darwin could still see right through the calm exterior.

"Don't you understand, Philip? The Council has never been more vulnerable in its entire existence before now. You can't take the chance that I'm right. And even if I'm wrong what's the harm? You beef up security for nothing? And you can lock me away for treason or whatever you like!"

For the moment, it honestly looked as though Darwin was actually getting through to Philip. His hard expression became more unsure, questioning.

Hope was rearing its ugly head again. "Philip –"

"_Get down_!"

A half second after Emily's warning, the dinning room windows imploded, sending glass spraying into the room. Darwin fell back to the floor, hard, covering his face from the glass. He couldn't see where Philip ended up.

Five men in black rushed through the opening. Each one pulled out a small black device and aimed it at Emily who'd been stunned by the blast. A small popping sound burst from the devices and thin metal webs shot out, attaching themselves to Emily. She cried out in pain then dropped to the floor, spasming.

"Emily!" Darwin cried. He tried to get to her but more men suddenly filed into the room, throwing him back down to the ground and pinning him down with a gun at the base of his skull.

"Don't stake it!" Philip ordered the men. "We need to bring it back whole."

A pair of metal handcuffs was slapped onto Darwin's wrists. A gruff voice was speaking to him. "By order of the Council of Watchers, I am authorized to place you under arrest."

The Enforcers. Philip must've called them while he was preparing the tea.

Roughly, the surrounding men hauled Darwin to his feet, keeping hold of him. Now he could see the first group wrap Emily in chains and half drag, half carry her down the hallway.

"Stop –let her go!" he cried out. "She's done nothing wrong!"

No one paid any attention to him. They did, however, slip a bag of some sort over his head and haul him out from the house and to the street. From there, he was shoved into what felt like the back of a van or SUV. A moment passed, then they were on the move.

It was his worst nightmare come to pass. He had no idea were Emily was –the space was far too cramped for her to be in the vehicle with him. He had hoped by coming to Philip with the information, he would be protecting her from falling into the Council's clutches. But he'd never expected Philip to outright betray him like this.

The trip was uncomfortable and long. The air tasted stale through the hood and the handcuffs bit painfully into his skin.

Eventually the vehicle came to a stop and Darwin was yanked out. Blindly, he was moved to and fro, up and down stairs, into elevators and out of elevators. Finally, the cuffs were removed and he was shoved forward. He tripped over something, barely catching himself against a cement wall.

Pulling the hood from his head, Darwin blinked rapidly against the sudden light and tried to get his bearings. He was in one of the holding cells reserved for criminals and enemies to the Council.

The door to the prison slammed shut and his darkly clad escorts exited the room, satisfied their task was complete. That left Darwin alone with Philip.

"Where is she? Where have you taken her?" Darwin demanded, gripping the bars that trapped him.

"The vampire is being taken to the laboratories for testing. We must determine how this creature came to immunize itself from crucifixes. We'll need to prevent other vampires from learning the secret."

Panic flooded Darwin's body. The labs were located in the lowest level of the Council Headquarters along. The basement.

"Please, Philip, don't put her there! It'll destroy her! Have mercy, _please_!"

"Darwin, do you even hear yourself right now? It's a bloody vampire! A demon! And you're going on like it's a _person_."

He squeezed the bars tighter, imagining his hands around Philip's wrinkled throat. "You don't know her," he said darkly.

"No, Darwin, _you_ don't see the golden ticket you've been handed."

That brought him up short. "What are you getting at?"

Philip glanced around then moved closer to the bars. Lowering his voice, he said, "Tell them you were bringing the vampire to me to turn over to the Council but I called them before you could explain yourself properly. I'll collaborate your story. You might not be reinstated but at least you won't spend the rest of your life in here." He gestured around them.

So Philip wanted Darwin to betray Emily to save his own skin. All these years, a small piece of Darwin had still always looked up to Philip as… maybe not a father but a mentor. Someone who guided him and molded him into the man he was destined to become. But hearing him now, Darwin finally realized that, he'd outgrown Philip a long time ago.

"Go to hell, Philip," Darwin said almost tiredly, turning his back on the older man.

"You arrogant insufferable fool!" Philip snapped. "If your mother and father knew what you've done –"

"If my parents knew of what I've done and found reason to be ashamed then maybe they weren't worth honoring."

Before Philip had a chance to respond to that, all the lights suddenly clicked off. Darkness filled the room for several long seconds before red lights sparked to life, casting everything in disturbing shadows.

"What –"

A blood-curdling scream interrupted Philips inquiry. It came from the door.

Bile crawled up Darwin's throat as he and Philip stared at the door. Below, the ground rumbled in a familiar pattern.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Philip demanded, voice trembling.

"You remember that 'fantastic tale' I was telling you about?" Darwin drawled. "Well, you're about to have a staring role in the third act."


	22. April 2000 IV

April 2000

_Pop! Pop! Pop!_ "N-no! Don't! NO! AGHHHH- herrrk!"

These were the sounds Philip and Darwin heard through the door just before a body went flying through the door, splintering it on impact. The poor soul hit the wall with a wet _sloop_ then slowly slid down to the floor.

"Darwin, tell me what the hell is going on, right this second!" Philip's voice was hysterical and high pitched. He was trembling from head to toe. "What's out there?"

"I'm fairly certain that answer will be presenting itself any second now."

Sure enough, a hulking eight-foot tall Ha'Shan stalked into the room, having to duck to avoid hitting the eave. A thick visceral red smear coated its chest.

"What is that thing?" Philip shrieked, backing away as far as the room would allow.

The Ha'Shan's lips peeled back into a wide grin. A low rumble escaped its mouth as it slowly began moving toward the frightened man.

As it passed the bars, Darwin reached out and grabbed hold of one of its rock arms and held on for absolute dear life.

"Philip, _run_!" he shouted, struggling.

Philip immediately darted past the demon and vanished out the door.

Growling, the Ha'Shan shoved Darwin away. Losing his footing, he fell to the ground, banging his head sharply. He barely regained his senses enough to feel a clawed hand wound itself around his ankle and drag him forward.

Fighting through the pain throbbing in his head, Darwin kicked frantically at the demon's outstretched arm. Somehow, he managed to wiggle free and quickly scurried back against the wall and away from the bars.

The Ha'Shan reached through with its impossibly long arms but Darwin was out of its reach. Enraged, it banged its massive hands against the bars but they held and Darwin found himself grateful he hadn't asked Philip to let him out before he fled.

That is… until the behemoth took hold of the bars and began to bend and pull them apart. The metal groaned and creaked against the strain but it was slowly giving. It wouldn't be long before there was enough room for the monster to get inside.

At this point, Darwin was too emotionally exhausted to even find the will to be afraid anymore.

_Whap_!

A thick computer monitor came flying through the door and crashed solidly into the Ha'Shan, knocking it away from the cell bars. It stumbled sideways but managed to maintain its balance, growling venomously at the door.

Emily stepped through the doorway. Other than some tears in her clothes and a bloody slash in her bicep, she looked unharmed.

The two stared each other down, neither paying any attention to the man in the cage. Then the Ha'Shan opened its jaws and roared loud enough to rattle the bars.

And Emily raised a gun she'd been holding and fired three shots right into the beasts open mouth. The Ha'Shan's eyes popped open in shock and pain. Purple liquid drizzled from its mouth and a gurgling noise bubbled from its throat as it rocked back on its heels then dropped to the floor.

Wasting no time, Emily grabbed hold of the bent computer monitor and brought it down on the demon's head. Once. Twice. Three times. Finally the creature lay still and she tossed the monitor aside, whipping a smear of purple off her hand.

"Are you alright?" Darwin asked, moving up to the bars. "What happened?"

Emily pulled out a set of keys from her pocket and unlocked the door. "The Ha'Shan attacked while they were taking me downstairs, two of them. The guards tried to stop them but…" She shook her head, pulling open the cell door.

"And how did this happen?" Darwin asked, examining the gash in her arm closer –it had already stopped bleeding for the most part.

"One of my guards shot me. He thought I was in league with the Ha'Shan. It would have been much worse, but another guard tried to stop him and knocked the gun aside. He's the one who gave me the keys."

From his pocket, he produced a large handkerchief and proceeded to secure it around her wound tightly.

"There are at least ten more out there," she informed him. "Probably more out- "

Above them came the sounds of chaos and more screams.

Emily met Darwin's eyes warily. "We need a plan."

Darwin glanced around for a moment before his sight settled on the dead guard crumpled on the ground. "Sorry, chappe," he muttered regretfully.

He shoved aside some random debris and the like to create a clear space before him. Then he dipped his fingers into the dead man's blood and used it to draw a very rough sketch of the headquarters.

"Alright." He waved Emily down to the floor with him. "This is where we are now." He pointed it out on the bloody map. "Two floors up is the armory –we should go there for supplies. We'll need quite a lot of ingredients to make this work."

"Make what work?"

"The _Ad Finem Ultimum_."

She frowned. "'The finale'?"

"'To the Final End', but basically the same, yes. It's a fail safe the Council put into place when this headquarters was established."

"What does it do?"

"It complete eradicates anything with demonic blood inside this building." Again, he pointed to the diagram. "Here, in each of the four corners of the room there are a series of runes carved into the foundation. If I can make it to this room and activate the spell all of the Ha'Shan will be destroyed."

"If the Council has this kind of power, why hasn't anyone used it by now?"

"For one thing, only those of the Inner Council are supposed to know about it. Philip told me about it a long time ago. Second, this spell attacks _anything_ with demonic blood, not just demons. Every sample and artifact –if a demon got so much as a paper cut on a book –it will all vaporize in an instant. The Council will lose a lot of valuable information that may not be recovered."

"Then…"

"We don't have a choice," he interrupted. "I won't let everything here be destroyed just because they are too stubborn and stupid to have a proper computerized system put in place." He stood up, whipping the blood on his trousers. "First we make it to the armory then you can find a way outside and –"

"No," Emily interrupted firmly.

Darwin sighed exasperated. "I won't argue this point, Emily."

"Good to hear because I'm not negotiating either."

"Emily, this spell is designed to attack demonic blood. You're soul can't save you from this –the fact that you still need an invitation to enter a person's home is proof of that."

"A spell of this magnitude takes time to complete, time those people out there don't have. I can't run away while the Ha'Shan kill these people."

"I will not perform this spell while you are still inside the building."

The two stared each other down but neither spoke. Around them, the war raged reminding them time was slipping away.

Finally, Emily broke the silence. "Compromise?"

He said nothing as she moved to the body and pulled the man's wristwatch off. She pressed a few buttons then held it out to Darwin.

"Fifteen minutes. That's plenty of time for you to prepare for the spell and for me to get myself out of the building. We'll part ways at the armory. When this alarm goes off, activate the _Ad Finem Ultimum_."

"How will I know you're safe?" Darwin challenged, not taking the watch.

Emily pulled the gun from the small of her back and checked the clip. "Three rounds. In fifteen minutes, when I get outside I'll fire these three bullets as a signal." Her eyes met his unwavering. "However… you have to promise me you'll do the spell even if you don't hear my signal."

He shook his head. "I can't."

"You have to. Don't forget you are a Watcher, Mr. Holtz. It is your job to preserve life at any cost."

"I haven't been a Watcher for a very long time," he reminded her.

She smiled and shook her head. "Just because you haven't collected a paycheck in years doesn't mean you aren't a Watcher. It's who you are and who you've always been. I know we've poked fun at our relationship being that of a Watcher/Slayer one but in essence you are very much a Watcher to me. And I need you to see me as your Slayer… and not a daughter."

"I'm sorry to have been so bothersome to you." He couldn't help the bitter taste in his tone at her words.

Emily turned melancholy. "Zikomo died because I wasn't around when he needed me the most. Leaving you alone in the middle of all this," she gestured around them "feels like I'm making the same mistake. But I also know it's the right call to make. And so do you."

He wanted to deny it, wished he could desperately. But he couldn't. Everything she said made perfect sense on an intellectual and statistical level. He would need a distraction to insure the Ha'Shan didn't come to realize his plans. And Emily had already proven herself capable of dispatching these creatures, however difficult the task was. Not to mention, they also needed to locate the spell caster that broke down the _kekkai_ back in Izumo –chances were high he'd be here as well backing up the demons and could very likely disrupt the _Ad Finem Ultimum_.

But the terror swirling inside him wouldn't allow his rationale dominion. All he could see were images of Isabel and Natalie's bodies. All he could think of was how he'd failed them and now he was about to fail Emily.

And that's when Darwin finally realized the truth. It wasn't his love for her that got Isabel killed nor was it his lack of love that made Natalie take her own life. It was his fear. He'd allowed his fear for them to consume him just as he was letting it rule over him now. If he acted on it this time, it would mean the end of everything.

This is what it meant to be a Watcher: balance. It wasn't wrong for a Watcher to care for his Slayer so long as he also possessed the strength to let her go. Even if it meant goodbye.

_Ad Finem Ultimum_. _To the final end_.

Darwin took the watch and slipped it over his wrist. Stooping down, he yanked the fallen guard's nightstick free and jerked his hand to the side, making it extend.

He held it out to Emily. "I expect to see you waiting for me outside the front entrance in exactly twenty minutes," he told her sternly. "I'll not accept tardiness."

She took the nightstick and tested its grip in her hand before meeting his gaze. "Yes, sir."

He gestured toward the door with a sweep of his hand. "Ladies first."

The corner of her lip perked up into an almost cocky smirk before she turned back toward the battered doorway. Gripping her weapon tightly she led him out into the fray.


	23. April 2000 V

April 2000

Chaos did not accurately describe the world around them. Blood was so prevalent the scent of it was nearly overwhelming. The only thing louder than the screams was the repeated sounds of flesh tearing and bones snapping.

Right off the bat, Emily was grabbed by a Ha'Shan and thrown up against the wall. The force to her spine sprung her hands open and she dropped the nightstick.

Darwin immediately took it up and shoved the point into one of the rocky grooves in its neck then pressed the button to activate the electric charge. The Ha'Shan exclaimed and dropped Emily. The instant her feet touched the ground, she threw her shoulder into the creature then balled her fists together and struck the side of its face, driving it further back.

Before it could recover, Darwin grabbed Emily by the wrist and pulled her forward. There was too many of them for her to keep fighting as much as it pained him to admit.

They made for the stairwell, Darwin tossing the baton into the air for Emily to catch. She spun in the air, catching it and used the momentum to bash a Ha'Shan out of her way toward the door.

Fortunately, the stairs were completely clear of demons. Though, Darwin imagined, they would not be so lucky once they tried to exit onto one of the floors.

The armory was located two floors above them. They got to the door and paused. Emily pressed an ear to the door and closed her eyes, concentrating. How she could hear anything beyond the terrors all around them was a mystery to Darwin.

After a few seconds she pulled him away and mouthed the words, "There's at least one right outside. Two more nearby."

"Can you handle them?" he mouthed back.

She held up a hand with her forefinger and middle finger crossed. Not so terribly reassuring.

A thought came to him. "Across the way there's a bathroom. Do you think you could take care of the one Ha'Shan without alerting the others so we can make it?"

She considered it then moved to the door without answering. Again, not reassuring.

With a hand out, she warned Darwin to stay back and he did, bracing himself to rush forward should there be a need to assist. She pressed her ear to the door again and stood there for a long moment.

Then without warning, she flung open the door and yanked the surprised Ha'Shan inside the stairwell. It smirked when it spotted the equally startled Darwin but before it could enact whatever horrid fantasy it had thought up, Emily launched herself at it. She shoved it face first into the wall, stunning it then shoved it over the railing. It tumbled down the stairs and out of sight.

"Think its dead?" Darwin asked.

"I'm more concerned about ourselves." She opened the door a crack and stared through. "Clear."

Quickly they left the stairwell and hurried across the hall and into the bathroom without alerting anyone. As useless as it probably was, Darwin flipped the lock.

"I hope you're plan has a follow up," Emily said, examining the small space. "Because I see neither a weapon nor another exit."

"That's because you're looking in the wrong direction." He pointed up.

A very long and very cramped crawl through the ceiling later and Darwin and Emily found themselves directly over the armory. After declaring the room to be devoid of all demonic presences, Emily shoved the ceiling panel out and lowered Darwin into the room.

"Oh my God!" someone cried out, cringing in the corner. "They're coming from the ceiling now!"

As Darwin helped Emily down –more for courtesy than necessity –he took notice of their surroundings. There were more than two dozen people crouched and cowered throughout the armory.

Including a familiar face. "Are you insane?" Philip yelled in Darwin's face. "Are you determined to lead them here to all of us?"

"Oh, Philip, you're alive, wonderful for you. Oh no, no, no," Darwin waved for Emily to lower the large ax she'd picked for herself. "I have something much, much better for you. Come."

He started to make his way toward the back when Philip moved into his path yet again.

"You can't honestly be considering giving that _thing_ one of our weapons!" he demanded. "My God, man, it's a demon just like those things out there trying to kill us!"

Darwin promptly circled around Philip and stopped in front of the door. "Do you have those keys?" he asked Emily, indicating the padlock.

"Simmons! I order you to arrest this man at once!" Philip commanded one of the guards on the floor.

The guard glanced up at Darwin and Emily before letting his head fall again. "With all due respect sir, piss off," he said to Philip.

Emily reached past Darwin, wrapped her hand around the padlock and gave it a sharp tug. It came off rather easily.

"Oh, yes, that works as well."

Darwin opened the closet doors reveal floor to ceiling shelves with boxes and other various items. He browsed through the shelves until he came across whatever he was looking for. He pulled a long thin package wrapped in a purple cloth and tied off with golden ropes.

"Here we are. You should appreciate this more than anyone."

He brought the package over to a table then slipped off the rope and unwrapped it. It was a long black sword with notches in the blade every few inches. The hilt was the same color as the blade with separate grooves for a two-handed grip and a bowed plate at the base.

Emily's eyes widened, her hand hovering slightly over the blade. "Is this…?"

"The _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi _or 'Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven'. Better known as the _Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi_. The sword Susano-ô crafted out of the _Orochi's_ tail –the one part of the demon the fallen god's own sword could not penetrate."

"But the sword was lost back in the late thirteen hundreds after the battle of_ Dan-no-ura_," she said, awe clear in her voice. "There were rumors about its placement throughout history but nothing confirmed."

Darwin took up the sword, feeling its weight. "Unfortunately, I can't confirm it either. According to Council records, it was found over four centuries ago deep in the Pacific Ocean and eventually found its way here. They brought in several shamans to authenticate it but all they could clarify is that it's demonic in origin."

He held the sword out to her. Emily hesitated before carefully wrapping her hand around the hilt. She made a noise much like a gasp and a slight shudder passed through her.

"It's old," she said, more to herself than to him. "And it's definitely seen a lot of battle. Death radiates from it."

"Legend says the blade is cursed, yes?" he asked, a bit concerned by her strange reaction to handling the sword. "Perhaps its because a mortal man was never meant to wield it." _I hope_.

Whatever it was passed and she gripped the blade more tightly, testing its balance. "Do you think it's the real _Kusanagi_?" she asked Darwin.

"If not it'll definitely cause a lot of damage to the Ha'Shan –it weights an outright ton."

"You're right. I do appreciate it." She gave it a practice swing, passing it from hand to hand. "I think I'll go show my friends out there my new toy."

Darwin nodded offering a strained smile. "Play nicely."

She met his gaze. Neither said a word as the vampire headed back over to the main entrance. She yanked open the door and vanished from sight, closing it behind her.

The same fear rose within Darwin, cold and consuming, but he beat it back. He almost regretted not saying anything to Emily. Then again, whatever said between them would sound too much like a farewell. This wasn't goodbye. He refused to believe that.

And now, he had work to do.

He pressed the button on the watch he wore. The numeric display beneath the analogue face showed the countdown. It felt so… ominous staring at those numbers. A terrible foreboding filled his stomach, tying it in knots.

"All right, everyone," Darwin spoke loudly with a confidence he didn't wholly feel. "If we've any hope in saving the Council we need to move fast."

"And what exactly do you propose we do?" a man spoke up from the corner. "You can't expect us to fight those things?"

"Of course not. We're going to activate the _Ad Finem Ultimum_."

Philip's face paled to a sickly shade of white. "You can't be serious."

"Yes, this entire thing is an elaborate prank, Philip."

It took the older man's panicked-exhausted mind to decipher Darwin's sarcasm. "If you do that you'll be destroying more than a millennia's worth of research and artifacts."

"If you're that concerned with it, Philip, then by all means please step outside and go save them. You've got fourteen minutes. Best of luck."

He gave Philip a condescending pat on the shoulder then brushed past him. But Philip wasn't done yet, moving once again in front of him.

"You can't expect any of us to willingly fall behind a fool that allies himself with a ruddy _vampire_!"

"Oye! That 'ruddy vampire' is the reason I'm still here so shut your bleedin' cake hole, ya ponce!"

The man that spoke was one of the same Enforcers that had carted Darwin and Emily away earlier this night. He walked over to the two of them and jerked his chin upward in acknowledgement to Darwin.

"Whatever you need, mate," he promised.

"You're mad!" Philip practically shrieked. "The whole lot of you! Absolute lunatics!"

The Enforcer aimed a thumb at the hysterical man but addressed Darwin. "I could hit 'im for ya."

"Yes, alright."

"_Wha -_?"

Without another word, the Enforcer raked his knuckles against Philip's jaw even before he'd finished voicing his protest. He dropped to the ground solidly with a straggled cry.

"Thank you," Darwin said.

"Pleasure, sir."

Stepping over Philip's moaning form, Darwin looked up at the others. "Before anything, I need to know if there's a registered witch or warlock among us. Come now, don't be shy –time is of the essence."

At first all he got were frightful and curious stares. Then from behind him, a small voice said, "E-excuse me, sir."

The voice belonged to a young girl no older than nine or ten. "Me mum won't let me…" A deep look of sorrow passed over her. "I mean… _wouldn't_ let me register meself but I am a natural with the magics, sir. But I don't fancy going out there an fightin' nothin'."

Darwin approached the girl and knelt down to eye level. "And I wouldn't have it any other way, Miss…?

"Mindy, sir. Mindy Grates."

"Mindy, then. You see, Mindy, there's a very dark sorcerer out there working with these demons here and I need to stop him, preferably without him realizing what's going on. Can you manage that?"

Mindy thought about it with a surprisingly serious and grown-up expression for one so young. "Well, if he's the one effecting all the barriers here then he might not notice a simple locator spell."

"Sounds perfect." He waved the helpful Enforcer forward. "This gentlemen will help you gather up all you need."

The two went off. Darwin stood and returned to Philip who was still sitting on the ground, nursing a bruising jaw.

"Now, Philip," He crouched down. "Tell me how to activate the spell."

"I'm not saying a word. I won't be your accomplice in destroying this Council."

"I'll tell you everything you need to know," a young man said. He was hiding behind an upturned table, holding a broken spear in a trembling grip. "Everything. But I won't leave this room. I-I'm sorry but I can't."

"I'm grateful for whatever assistance you can grant me," Darwin said kindly. "We just need to hurry."

By the time they collected all the supplies, there was les than ten minutes left according to Darwin's watch. He'd managed to convince five people in addition to Mindy and his new Enforcer chum to come with him.

Outside the armory, the first thing they saw were two dead Ha'Shan crumpled on the floor with chunks of them scattered all over the floor in purple bloodied pieces. One of them had thick globs of red blood smeared all over its mouth and a torn bit of cloth caught in its fangs. It resembled the blouse Emily was wearing.

"Come on, let's go, now," he whispered to the others, forcing his mind to focus on the task at hand. He had to trust that she was still alive out there somewhere.

More bodies lined the path to the stairwell –most were humans but another Ha'Shan lay dead amongst them giving Darwin renewed hope for Emily's well being.

The Enforcer whistled softly. "She did all this in five minutes? What was that sword you gave her, bloody Excalibur?"

"Actually, I suppose it is. The Japanese version anyway."

"Well then Merlin, lead the way."

Rolling his eyes at that comment, Darwin lead the troop down the hall to the nearest stairwell door unaccosted. More bodies lined the path –no Ha'Shan this time, only human.

Moving as fast as they could without making any noise, they climbed stair after stair until they reached their desired stop.

Now the Enforcer stepped forward. He dropped to the floor and peered beneath the door jam.

"Looks good," he announced without much certainty, standing.

Darwin pushed Mindy behind him before giving the Enforcer the okay to open the door. The Enforcer jerked the door open, raising the battle-ax he'd brought from the armory high over his head.

A Ha'Shan body fell lifelessly at his feet bringing scattered gasps and cries from the group. It didn't have a head.

Throwing a hand over Mindy's eyes, Darwin guided her over the dead demon then moved down the long familiar hall.

Once they entered the High Council's chambers, a sense of dread slithered around within him like a serpent. This was the place where his daughter had received a death sentence. Many sleepless nights he'd often wondered if her life would have been better had it ended here that day.

Pushing all those dark thoughts and his doubts aside, Darwin began to give everyone their orders.

"You two, barricade the door. Mindy, get yourself set up –you'll be up first. The rest of you, upturn this desk and uncover the seal. Quick now!"

Everyone took to task choosing to move swiftly over quietly. The enormous oak table was moved to block the doors along with other bits of furniture.

Little Mindy settled herself in a corner, taking the gathered supplies and spreading them out before her, muttering her spell under her breath as she worked.

In the armory, the gentleman had told Darwin that the seal to activate the _Ad Finem Ultimum _was beneath the wooden flooring of the chambers. Using whatever items they could –letter openers, felt-tip pens, ledgers –one by one they pried the wooden planks up.

Slowly the seal emerged. It was elaborately crafted with intricate designs and symbols that were carved directly into the cement below.

Finally, Darwin exposed the most crucial aspect of the seal. At the very center was a small groove or slit.

According to his instructions, all Darwin needed to do was coat the Dagger of St. Douglas –a very renowned Watcher of the past –with the blood of a Watcher then plunge the blade into the groove. After that, the seal would activate the runes in the beams and then the spell would eradicate the demons.

In theory, naturally. There was not a Watcher alive nor otherwise that had seen this ritual in action.

Darwin chose not to dwell on that minor detail at the present.

"Alright, Mindy," Darwin glanced over at the girl. "Whenever you're ready."

Mindy gave him a nervous grin then centered herself and hovered a hand over the symbol she'd drawn in front of her with red sand.

"He's close," she murmured, trace-like. "Very close…"

Beneath her hand, the red sand began to swirl and rise. Just then, the sand shot out like a bullet straight for the window. The Enforcer let out a startled "oye!" then ducked aside before the sand splattered against the glass.

"What do you see?" Darwin asked as the Enforcer straightened up.

He swiped the sand aside and peered out. "Oh yeah, I see 'im." He pulled out a revolver from a hip holster. "Just say the word and he's –"

Mindy's scream interrupted. They all turned and saw the child floating in midair, face contorted in obvious pain.

_Damn_…

"It's the sorcerer!" one of the others shouted in horror. "He's channeling himself through her to get our location!"

_Crash_!

The Enforcer jabbed his elbow through the window and aimed the gun out. "I'll stop that bleedin' monster!"

"_No_!" Five additional voices echoed alongside Darwin's, halting the man from pulling the trigger. But it was someone else who elaborated on his behalf.

"If you kill a sorcerer in the middle of a spirit binding it could cause irreparable damage to the bounded person. It could kill Mindy!"

At that moment, there came a thunderous _boom_ at the door. Several loose items stacked against the table flew backwards from the pressure as more pounding erupted.

"He's telling them where we are!" one man cried in horror, pressing his body against the back wall as far from the entrance as possible.

"He might figure out what we're doing!" another shouted, rushing forward to help hold the barricade in place. "We must stop him! Now!"

Darwin stared at the girl still floating. To stop the spell caster would be to sacrifice this child's life. But unless that person was stopped they'd never be able to perform the _Ad Finem Ultimum_.

"You're the leader here, mate," the Enforcer informed Darwin. "It buggers all hell but it's your call. Give the word and I'll do it."

Darwin looked from the Enforcer to the door and back to Mindy. She caught his eye and then something passed between the two of them. It looked like a nod, as though she were giving him her consent. Or maybe it was just what he wished he saw.

"Do it!" he ordered, never removing his eyes from Mindy's. He heard the rapid popping sound then watched as her eyes widened and glazed before she plummeted. He managed to catch her before she could hurt herself though he wasn't sure why he bothered after what he'd just allowed to happen.

But he had little time to dwell on this. Because even though the sorcerer was dead, the massive pounding at the door did not quell. In fact, it was magnified to the point where cracks were beginning to form in the walls surrounding the entrance. Even with the barricade, it would not hold long.

The Enforcer and the other Watchers hurried to the barricade to buy them some more time.

"The spell!" one of them shouted back at Darwin. "Do it! Hurry!"

Darwin left the catatonic Mindy on the floor and rushed to the satchel he'd gotten from the armory. From its depths, he withdrew St. Douglas's dagger. Then he hesitated.

What sounded like an explosion resounded behind him. One of the Ha'Shan managed to punch a hole through the door and wrapped a hand around one of the Watcher's throats. It squeezed and the man's body went slack almost instantly.

"_Just because you haven't collected a paycheck in years doesn't mean you aren't a Watcher. It's who you are and who you've always been."_

Darwin raked the blade across his palm then shoved it deep into the crevice.

At once, this luminous white light burst free from the groove, lighting up the seal with its awesome glow. The light traveled to the four corners of the room, igniting the runes carved into the walls and setting the entire room ablaze with its brilliance.

Through the light, Darwin could just barely make out the Ha'Shan's arm as it began to disintegrate. A bone Mindy had used in her spell also evaporated into the air.

What Darwin could not see was the light traveling from floor to floor of the building vaporizing every demonic thing in its path. Within mere moments, it was completely purged and the light began to fade, peeling itself back the way it had come and ending once more at the seal within the crevice.

Only now, it was simply a hole in the floor. The seal –as well as the runes in the walls –were gone.

The survivors in the room rejoiced.

"It worked! It actually bloody well worked!"

"I was convinced we were all done for!"

"An absolute miracle, this is!"

The Enforcer jogged to Darwin's side and clapped him on the shoulder. "You did it! Bloody brilliant!"

But Darwin wasn't paying attention to the world around him. His eyes were locked on the borrowed wristwatch.

Two minutes and fifty-seven seconds later, the alarm sounded.


	24. April 2000 VI

April 2000

Two minutes and fifty-seven seconds. All Darwin had to do was wait nearly three minutes. But there was no chance they'd have survived if he had waited. Right? He'd done the right thing, hadn't he?

Please, please someone tell him he did the right thing.

And then he heard it. Two pops coming from the window. Two gunshots.

That was the signal, yes? Emily said once she was safe she'd set off a few shots to let him know she was okay. How many had she said? Was it two or three?

Darwin threw himself to his feet and began tearing away the last bits of the barricade. Once the doorway was clear, the burst through the room and raced down the hall at a dead sprint.

All around him were survivors peeking their heads out of rooms and various hiding places like prairie dogs checking to see if the threat was in fact gone. He ignored every last one of them, once more plunging into the stairwell and descending. More than once he'd come very close to losing his footing altogether and plummeting to a sure and painful death.

Lungs cursing him all the way down to the ground floor, Darwin shoved the door open and did not stop running until he made it outside. It was raining again, making the night around him that much darker.

The Council Headquarters was located far from the population at the top of a very impressive hill. Beyond the decorative grassy knolls was an extraordinarily high cliff side leading down to the ocean below. It was so high up one could not even hear the sounds of the waves crashing against the surface of the cliff.

In his youth, Darwin had always found the sight to be awesome. Now, all he could think of was man's audacity to try to reach the heavens above.

But there was no sign of Emily or anyone else for that matter. Someone had to have made those shots, Darwin was sure of it. Unless he'd finally lost his bloody mind after all.

"Emily!" he called. "Emily, if you're out here answer me!"

Maybe she was too hurt to answer. That could explain why he'd only heard two shots instead of the agreed upon three for the signal.

Fighting through panic and fatigue, Darwin dashed around the side of the building, praying he would find her. When she wasn't at the side, he rounded the corner to the back of the building.

The first thing he saw were two bodies laying on the ground in bloody pieces. Then his eyes found K'Shahl standing over the dead men.

This time, there was no mistaking who this demon was. The same facial features, the same build, the same hooked claws –this was the thing that haunted Darwin's nightmares.

And it was holding a gun in an awkward grip. Darwin didn't know guns by sight but it looked familiar enough to make him want to throw up.

"_You_!" K'Shahl snarled the word like a curse once his eyes made contact with Darwin. "You did this?"

Before he could move, the demon brought the gun up and fired. Pain burst through Darwin's thigh as he crumpled to the ground. Blood leaked through the hole in his leg and dripped to the grass below.

It was a strange sensation. His body felt the pain but his mind was viewing everything as if he wasn't analyzing himself. Single gunshot wound. Straight through, nicked bone but missed the femoral artery. A few weeks of physical therapy and the patient would be fine.

But Darwin didn't seem to have a few seconds let alone weeks.

K'Shahl marched forward, tossing the gun aside; the earth shook with each tremendous step. "Have you any idea how long I have been _waiting_ for this night, Watcher? Centuries of careful plotting and planning… only to have my dreams shattered by the likes of _you_!"

It raised his foot in the air and stomped it down. Darwin had barely enough sense to roll out of the way before the demon could collapse his chest with such a blow. He tried crawling away but didn't get very far before he was lifted by the back of his neck and hurled into the side of the building.

Both his legs went numb for a full five seconds while he gasped for breath. The very tips of his fingers were tingling and he found it nearly impossible to move them.

"This was _my_ world before you all came and destroyed everything like the plague you are!" K'Shahl continued, grabbing hold of Darwin's coat and again throwing him aside.

This landing though nowhere near soft did hurt significantly less and left Darwin not nearly as scattered. He saw the discarded gun lying only a few feet away and made a quick grab for it. He had it aimed right at the beast's eye when he pulled the trigger.

Nothing. Empty.

Of bloody course.

K'Shahl bent down, grabbed the wounded man by his lapel and brought his face right up to its own. "You will know the pain I and mine have had to endure all these centuries."

"Now, now, no need to be a sore loser," Darwin rasped, mind racing, trying and failing to think of a way out of this. Or at the very least, come up with a way he could possibly speed up the process and avoid quite so long and painful a death. "Bit unsportsman-like, don't you think?"

"What?" K'Shahl demanded, bringing Darwin even closer to its grotesque face.

"I believe what my friend is trying to say is, 'pick on someone your own size'."

And there Emily stood still holding the _Kusanagi_ at her side, with the bloodied and dripping tip resting on the ground.

She looked absolutely ravished with a large bloody hunk missing from her collarbone amongst a multitude of cuts and scrapes. The skin of her forearm on her left arm was blackened as if she'd held it over a very hot surface or fire. Blood leaked down the side of her face from a cut hidden beneath the tresses of her hair.

But she was here, whole. Darwin hadn't killed her.

K'Shahl lifted its face to the sky and laughed. "Another one, Watcher? Do you so love witnessing a Slayer's demise that you'd hand deliver a third one to my claws? Very well then… Do your job and _watch_!"

With almost a leisurely toss, K'Shahl flung Darwin aside before sauntering up to Emily. The demon towered over her, nearly double her height but she stood her ground unwavering in spite of the obvious pain she surely must have felt.

"You're smaller than the last one," K'Shahl mused, stopping within several feet of her –no problem for those massive arms of his. "Tell me, child… will you scream as wonderfully as she did before I tore her arm off?"

Before Darwin could even act on the rage such a statement inspired, Emily struck. With the speed of a cobra strike, she darted forward, shoving the hilt of the _Kusanagi_ into K'Shahl's stomach, doubling the demon over. Then she turned around and ran up the side of the Council building at an arch, launching herself at the Ha'Shan and landing a brutal kick to the side of its face.

With K'Shahl on one knee, stunned, Emily flipped the blade in her hand and raised it for a killing strike.

But the Ha'Shan wasn't beat yet. It lashed out with a foot, hitting her chest and throwing her backwards into the building. Blood spilled out from between her lips. The sword fell where she'd been kicked, well out of reach.

Darwin tried to stand but the rain made the grass below him slippery and the wound in his leg would tolerate no weight. All he could do was watch.

K'Shahl rushed at Emily. She dropped to the ground, rolling forward. She grabbed hold of the _Kusanagi_ mid-tumble, sprang up and sliced the blade through the air.

The demon roared in pain and rage as blood spurted through the new gash in its back. It swung one of its dreadfully long arms around and caught Emily in the temple. The blow threw her small body back dangerously close to the cliff's edge. Once more, she lost her grip on the sword.

Too stunned to defend herself, Emily wasn't able to move fast enough to avoid being lifted into the air by K'Shahl. He held her suspended off the ground by the back of her neck with one massive hand, holding the _Kusanagi_ in the other.

Darwin's heart stopped.

Unceremoniously, K'Shahl shoved the blade through Emily's back, piercing her heart. Her scream echoed throughout the night like a death toll until she fell silent, her head slumping forward, eyes open and sightless.

The hulking monster tossed the girl aside dismissively like she was nothing more than garbage. The blade broke at her fall, leaving her face down in the mud and dirt with the handle still sticking through her back.

Darwin could only watch on in abject horror. Why wasn't she getting up? The blade wasn't made from wood –only wood killed vampires –so why wasn't she getting up?

_But she isn't a normal vampire, is she? Hasn't she said all along that she's different from the others? You've seen it for yourself. How do you know this isn't how her kind can die?_

He didn't know. There was no way for him to know. Her body hadn't crumbled to ash, as normal vampires are wont to. But again, she wasn't normal.

Had he just watched another person he cared for die right before his eyes?

Suddenly, K'Shahl let out a thunderous roar of rage; the sound made the very Earth quake beneath Darwin's hands even more powerfully then its footsteps.

"_How is this possible_?" the demon shouted to the heavens. "How is it possible that you humans have been able to keep my kind from dominating this world for as long as you have? You're pathetic! Inept! And you, Watcher!" It aimed a clawed finger at Darwin. "You are the worst of them all! A fool! You can't even learn from your own mistakes! So, again, how is it possible for you disgusting humans to have survived this long?"

Blood burst from the center of the demon's chest like a grotesque purple rose bud. The blow was such an unbelievable shock that K'Shahl couldn't even cry out or react in the slightest.

Only when it turned its head to glance around at its attacker could Darwin make out Emily's much smaller frame behind. The front of her shirt was completely drenched in blood dripping down her leg and puddling on the grass below.

But she was alive and Darwin was euphoric.

"Because," she began, her voice strong and powerful. "Humans will always know how to surprise you."

A thin purple line seeped from the corner of K'Shahl's lips as Emily jerked the blade out. The creature staggered forward, unstable on its feet before falling sideways onto the grass with a significant thud.

Emily swayed a bit herself but managed not to fall over, wincing at the strain from the wound on her chest. But she did manage to look up at Darwin who had finally managed to climb back to his feet, keeping all his weight on the unwounded leg. The two locked eyes and the vampire girl smiled a tired smile.

Just then, she was yanked down to her knees with a startled cry. Behind her, K'Shahl had a chunk of her long, long hair wrapped around its bloody claws.

"Hope you don't mind, Watcher," K'Shahl smiled wickedly. "It's going to be very lonely in Hell…"

It only took Darwin a split second to realize what K'Shahl was planning. "No!" he gasped and rushed forward, slipping and stumbling upon his wounded leg.

It felt like time had all but stopped on Darwin. He could feel his body lurching forward but so painfully slow. Too slow.

Before him, K'Shahl gave another sharp jerk of Emily's hair, bringing her down and dragging her closer to the cliff beyond. Terrified, Emily struggled to find purchase in the wet grass beneath her, using the broken sword to try and slow her progression.

Darwin fought against the time barrier holding him back, pushing his body far beyond its limits. Just a little closer! Only a few more feet and he'd reach her. Seeing hope within her grasp, Emily stretched her empty hand out to Darwin.

Darwin got within two feet of that hand before K'Shahl rolled its body over the edge of the cliff and pulled Emily over the side.

"_No_!"

Darwin collapsed to his knees in the wet earth. Grief and sorrow squeezed his heart painfully like a vice.

The cliff was too high. Even being a vampire, the impact would be more than enough to sever her head from her body. And there wasn't a creature on this world that could survive an injury such as that.

"Emily…" he sobbed, dropping his face in his hands. "I am so sorry… so sorry…"

He failed. Again.

Then came the most peculiar of sounds. A sort of _sshink sshink sshink_ noise coming from the edge of the cliff.

Slowly, Darwin lowered his hands and raised his teary eyes to the spot where he'd just lost his only friend in the world. The strange sound was becoming louder and closer.

Above the mourning Watcher, the rain clouds quieted and began to part, uncovering the brilliant glow of the moon and letting light shine all around him as he stared forward, waiting for whatever was making that sound to reveal itself.

A hand popped up over the side followed almost immediately by the broken sword, digging deep into the earth.

With newfound strength, Darwin hurried forward and grabbed hold of Emily's arm, helping her up and over the edge. Once her legs were safely on the ground, he took her in his arms and held her tightly.

"I can't believe this! I thought…I didn't know… I…" He gave up trying to speak and just held her tightly, a breeze blowing the tresses of her hair against his face.

Something was different about her.

Confused, Darwin pulled back and stared at Emily. Her dark midnight hair fell a few inches past her shoulder in uneven locks.

She gave a timid smile and an unsure shrug. "I cut my hair," she said almost casually.

Darwin laughed and kissed her on the forehead. "It's beautiful." Then he took her once more in his arms, giving a silent thanks to the God he hadn't believed in for so long until this very moment.


	25. Part Five: The Forgotten

Part Five: The Forgotten

May 2000

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"You're sure? I thought I heard some scurrying or something a couple hours ago. There might be a rat problem here."

"…not anymore."

That brought a smile to Darwin's lips in spite of the ache in his back from leaning up against the metal bars of his prison.

Not two minutes after K'Shahl fell from the cliff, Darwin and Emily found themselves surrounded by newly invigorated Watchers and Enforcers, all heavily armed. Unbelievably, they read them the same "rights" they had back at Philip's house and tossed them both into another section of cells until they could be "tried and sentenced before the Council".

Mercifully, they'd allowed a medic to come in and tend to Darwin's leg and other smaller injuries. But they refused to treat Emily so Darwin had to convince them to leave the medical supplies with him and he'd had to treat her awkwardly through the bars.

That was two weeks ago. Other than random food deliveries –to Darwin only –they hadn't heard anything.

"This is bloody ridiculous," Darwin complained and not for the first time. He'd be pacing but his leg was still in enough pain to make that too uncomfortable a gesture. "We saved their lives and they're treating us like criminals."

"They're still rebuilding themselves," Emily said in a subdued voice. "Once they've figured everything out, they'll deal with us."

She was sitting on the floor behind him with her back against the bars. The sword wound had closed but it was still very tender –she felt more comfortable when nothing was pressing against it. But she'd hardly slept all this time and what little food she'd managed to scrounge up wasn't doing her any benefit with all those injuries.

Darwin sighed, rubbing at the bridge of his nose against a migraine. "I never should've brought you here. The smart thing would have been to duck out in the middle of the day at one of the motels we stayed in along the way."

She let out a small laugh. "If you thought that would have been enough to keep me away, then you don't know me very well, Mr. Holtz."

"Stop calling me that. You shouldn't hold me in such high regards –for God sakes, Emily, you're four times my age."

"I know. It's just… I don't feel my age when I'm with you. It was like that with Zikomo as well –he had a way of making me feel just like a child. It's endearing from you but infuriating from him."

He looked over his shoulder at her. Since they weren't completely back-to-back, he had an almost clear view of the side of her face despite the uneven locks of hair that threatened to obscure. Her hair had grown exponentially over the past two weeks; the longest sections were nearly halfway down her back already.

"I just can't help but feel that you're going to die because you came here with me," he confessed. "Back in the States you said everyone you care about always dies. Well, the same could be said for me as well. And… and I doubt I can survive it happening again."

Emily glanced across at him but he wouldn't meet her eyes so she turned back to stare at the walls of her own prison.

"I ended up at Zikomo's shrine purely by accident. I stumbled across his granddaughter Seiko fleeing from a vampire. I'd never fought one of my own kind before but I couldn't simply let the girl die. It was fairly embarrassing, looking back, but by some miracle, I killed the vampire and brought her home.

"Zikomo immediately realized what I was but was intrigued by me much the same way you were. He told me fate brought me to him –that I was meant for greatness. So I agreed to his training.

"I remember he had this bamboo stick that he always carried with him. If I didn't perform a task correctly or to his standards, he'd hit me with it as hard as he could. It drove me absolutely crazy.

"One night I got so sick of it that I grabbed the stupid stick and ripped it in half right in front of him. I about tore his throat out –part of me wanted to. And he wouldn't have been able to stop me.

"But he wasn't afraid. No… he just smiled and said, 'there you are'.

"When I asked him what he meant by that, he said 'this is the girl I met that first night. The girl whose strength and courage are immeasurable. This girl can overcome any obstacle and defeat any foe. I'm glad you were finally able to meet her'."

Emily turned around and smiled gently at Darwin. "My entire existence I've always been a victim. Zikomo was the first person who didn't treat me as one. He found the warrior in me… just like you.

"After I lost Vincent, I broke inside and reverted back to that victim. And if you hadn't stopped me, I would've eventually returned to Eve; I have no doubt. You brought that girl back. Even if they decide to kill me I'd rather die as this girl than live for eternity as a victim."

Darwin wished so much for these bars to disappear –he wanted to hold Emily in his arms again. He settled miserably for taking her hand.

At that moment, they both heard the sounds of the lock turning. Odd, they weren't due for a food delivery for another few hours.

Darwin frowned his question at Emily but she didn't look at him. Her expression was utterly blank.

Darwin's blood ran cold.

Six men stomped into the room –some carried crossbows while others held chains that rattled as they moved. One or two held crosses in trembling grips as though through sheer determination they could reverse Emily's immunity.

Enforcers.

"On your feet," one ordered Emily aiming a bolt at her. "Slowly. Any funny business and I won't hesitate."

"What's all this, then?" Darwin demanded, rising as well. "Where are you taking her?"

The sound of his own cell door opening startled him. "Same place as you, mate," another Enforcer informed him. "To stand before the Council."

"Are those really necessary?" Darwin gestured to the heavy chains as they were wrapped around the frail vampire. "The girl can hardly stand as it is!"

"It's alright," Emily told him, wincing as the Enforcers manhandled her out of her cell.

"No, it damn well is not alright!"

"Mr. Holtz, _please_."

Staring at her earnest expression extinguished some of the fiery rage within Darwin. He kept silent as they dragged Emily forward and escorted him after.

There was no surprise where they were taking the two. Back to the same place Darwin had activated the _Ad Finem Ultimum_. The Enforcers opened the doors and ushered Emily and Darwin inside.

The room had been cleaned up more or less. Large wooden boards had been placed over the hole Darwin and the others had created and a cherry wood table sat in the center filled almost to capacity with Watchers, all eying their guests cautiously.

"Have a seat, Mr. Holtz," an older man offered, signaling an Enforcer to pull out the only empty chair available.

Darwin limped to the chair, lifted it up and set it down in front of Emily. He helped her sit, the layers of chains making it hard to move properly.

A general chorus of disapproving tongue clicks and throat clearings echoed throughout the table. Darwin could care less about the offended expressions thrown his direction. He moved to stand beside Emily, showing them all precisely to which side he was loyal.

"First, we'd like to thank you for coming to meet with us," the first gentleman spoke up again.

"I wasn't aware this meeting was voluntary," Darwin pointed out.

"Yes well…" He cleared his throat. "I suppose you have many… concerns you'd like us to address. Such as –"

"Such as what you plan to do with us. Such as why we've been held captive for more than a fortnight with no word or news whatsoever."

The Watchers all glanced at one another –some looked angry at Darwin's audacity while others were simply uncomfortable.

The next person to speak was a woman sitting near the closer end of the long table. "Mr. Holtz, we understand your frustrations –"

"No, I highly doubt you do. My companion and I came here at great risk to ourselves to warn you about an oncoming threat. After which we were attacked and detained and when the attack happened _exactly_ as we said, we were the ones who took to task and stopped them. Instead of thanking us for saving your collective hides, you've locked us away like common criminals. So once again I fail to see how any of you can empathize with our frustrations."

The woman shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Well, as you can imagine, this is a very delicate situation."

"You know what the beauty of no longer being employed is? I no longer have to give a flying rat's ass about internal Council politics. You're embarrassed by this entire situation and I understand that. However, as I just stated, I happily don't have to care. All I want to know is what you plan to do with us."

Silence fell weighted all across the expansive table. Eyes flickered across to eyes; everyone was waiting for someone else to begin. It was utterly infuriating to Darwin. Really, it was any wonder how this group got _anything_ accomplished."

The first man was the one to finally address Darwin's inquiry. "The Council agrees that were it not for your altruistic actions the loss of life would have been much more astronomical than it was. And regarding the destruction of many rare and irreplaceable artifacts and research material, we feel it to be a small price to pay for the preservation of this Council.

"In light of all this, we, the Council of Watchers, hereby absolve you of all your crimes against the Council. We will no longer actively interfere in your affairs provided you return to America and never set foot on English soil again."

To finally be freed from beneath the black cloud the Watchers had put into place this past decade, never being allowed again to his native land seemed a bargain. This hadn't felt like his home for quite a long time.

Only he couldn't help but notice they were solely addressing Darwin.

"And what of Emily?" he asked, waving a hand at the bound vampire next to him.

The gentleman blinked, genuinely confused. "What about it?"

Darwin ignored the "it" comment. "Do you intend to release her as well?"

"Release the vampire, are you daft?" another Council member piped up. "It has extensive knowledge of trade Council secrets –it could pass this information to our enemies! We could face an even greater attack than this!"

"Not to mention, it cannot be affected by holy items," a younger spectacled woman near the back pointed out. "That in of itself is most disturbing."

"You, Mr. Holtz, are free to leave," the first man told Darwin. "But the vampire must be turned over to us for extermination."

Instinctively, Darwin moved to stand in front of Emily. "And how can you possibly justify that? After all she's done for you! Were it not for the selfless actions of this girl, all of us –all of this –would have perished that night. The only reason I was ever able to come here was because of this amazing person. I owe my life to her as do every last one of you here!"

"But the treat is –"

"Oh come off it!" Darwin snapped. "We all know the sole reason you are so quick to execute her is so you can save face, you cowardly prats!"

He wanted to say more –well, throw more insults –but he felt a tap against his foot. Emily, trying to stop him from digging his own grave, no doubt. He knew her well enough to know she was more than willing to allow them to kill her if it meant he could go free.

Over his dead body.

"You know… he has a point."

The speaker was the older woman near the front. "We cannot ignore the accomplishments of this… this remarkable creature."

"I hope you're not suggesting we simply ignore the facts," the first man said, throwing a very reproachful look at his comrade.

"What I am suggesting, Quentin, is that we ignore _nothing_. In order to make the most appropriate decision we should put all the facts on the table."

"Madelyn, " The way Quentin said her name made it clear he'd preferred to call her something else. "The Slayers have already turned this Council into a laughing stock. If word gets out that we needed a vampire to save us it'll be the end of everything we've worked so hard to build here. We may as well have let those demons have their way with us that previous night."

About now Darwin was calculating just how quickly he could leap across this bloody table and throttle this Quentin before the surrounding guards managed to stop him. Even with his injured leg he'd probably manage a few good dozen blows before they yanked him off.

"But there's another option, yes?" Madelyn said, evenly.

"What are you talking about?"

"We invoke The Forgotten Archive."

An eruption of murmurs and whispers broke out. It was very obvious this was the first time any of these people had heard about The Forgotten Archive in a serious discussion and not simple passing gossip.

"No one outside of this room will ever know about the attack," Madelyn raised her voice just enough to be heard over the din. "It will be as though it never happened."

"Be that as it may," another Council member began, agitation coating his tone. "That doesn't make this demon any less of a threat." He aimed a finger at Emily.

"_She_," Darwin emphasized, trying to gain control of his anger. "is no more a threat to you than I. She has a soul."

"Of course she does!" a woman exclaimed exasperated from beside Quinten. "Every vampire has one now apparently! But that doesn't mean we can simply change the rules that have been put in place for centuries before our time! We've already come to this conclusion!"

"And where did that conclusion lead?" another Watcher challenged. "Slayer-less and defenseless. Perhaps we need to open ourselves up to the possibility that not all things are as they were in the days of old."

More arguments broke out amongst the Watchers. Only Quinten remained silent, staring down at the polished surface of the new table deep in thought. He allowed them to continue quarreling for another few moments before he raised a hand, commanding for silence.

"Clearly, there is a lot to consider. Both sides are, in certain ways, correct just as both sides are, in certain ways, wrong in their ideals. I think we all can agree there really is only one way to settle this."

And then the man called Quinten spoke the two most terrifying words to ever reach Darwin's ears. Hearing these words brought on a familiar agony that he'd been dreading since the very moment he entered this room.

"We vote."


	26. May 2000

May 2000

"No, absolutely not!" Darwin snapped.

Quinten leveled his gaze. "If you don't allow us to vote on the matter you'll leave us with no choice but to exterminate the creature."

Darwin glared at him. "If you call her a creature one more time, so help me God, I will –"

"I accept the vote."

Darwin whirled around, staring at Emily with a mix of horror and confusion. But she wasn't looking at him. Her gaze was focused on the men and women sitting at the table, staring at her as though she were an exhibit at a zoo they never expected to be capable to speech.

Slowly, awkwardly, she rose to her feet. The guards surrounding her tensed and raised their weapons but backed off at a raised hand by Quinten.

"I will accept the outcome of the vote whatever it may be," Emily told them, determined.

"What are you doing?" Darwin asked, breathlessly.

She ignored the question, watching Quinten, the obvious leader of the group. "However, I do have one request that must be fulfilled regardless of what's decided. In exchange for the services I provided the night of the attack."

More looks were exchanged amongst the Watchers. Clearly they weren't certain whether to be insulted that a vampire be requesting demands from them or relieved at the apparent cooperation.

Finally, Madelyn said, "What is your request?"

"For you to have Isabel Rio's body moved from wherever it's being kept to South America so she can be laid to rest with her family."

All Darwin could do was stare at her in wonder. It was as if he'd completely forgotten how to speak. Emotions surged within him, too many to pick from leaving him stuck dumb.

Quinten eyed Emily suspiciously. "Your word you will abide by our decision even if it means death?"

Emily met his gaze resolved. "Give me your word and you shall have mine."

Darwin snapped himself out of his stupor. "Emily, don't do this. Please."

Quinten glanced around the table. "As long as there are no objections, I fail to see a reason why we can't accommodate your request." No one objected –except for Darwin but evidentially his opinion did not matter.

"This is madness!" Darwin grabbed Emily by the shoulders and forced her to acknowledge him. "I won't let you senselessly throw your life away."

"It's alright."

"Stop saying that! Just because you're ready to die doesn't mean I'm ready to let you go!"

She stared up at him, face set in determination. "I meant what I said before. And this is my decision to make." Her face softened a bit. "Besides, like I told K'Shahl, humans will always surprise you."

Darwin stared down at her. She was radiating strength and courage as brilliant as the sun in a cloudless sky. She'd never been more beautiful.

"You're barking mad," he told her. "You're aware of this, yes?"

She didn't answer him. She merely smiled.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Holtz?" came Quinten's impatient voice from behind him. It was all he could do not to tell the old git to bugger off.

"Cast your bloody vote," he said instead.

"Then let us finally put an end to this."

Darwin turned around and took a step back, leaving Emily standing exposed to the men and women that would either condemn or save her.

"Ladies and Gentleman," Quinten began, puffing himself up in his chair. "For the execution of this vampire, vote 'aye'. To allow this creature to live but fall under the rite of the Forgotten, vote 'nay'."

Not surprising, Quinten began the vote with a very resounding, "Aye."

One by one the Watchers cast their vote. The first two after Quinten were "ayes" making Darwin's heart stop beating for a few seconds.

But when it came to Madelyn's vote, she looked Emily right in the eye and said, "nay". After that came more "nays". Hope reared its meddlesome face for the first time in quite a number of years. It honestly looked like there was a chance they could both walk out of this place in one piece.

Shockingly, the vote was split completely down the middle leaving one man the sole decider. He was much younger than the majority of his colleagues. He was also the only person who had not spoken one word since the meeting began.

"Glenn," Quinten gently urged, as if the man didn't know it was his turn to speak.

Darwin watched silently as the final Watcher sat there watching his hands on the table top before him; there was a slight tremor to the fingers that matched Darwin's own.

"When the fight began that night," the man began, still looking down at his hands. "I took my wife and my son and hid in one of the offices. One of those things found us and…and set fire to the place. It wanted to watch us burn."

He sucked in a breath and forced his gaze up, eyes locking on Emily. "You appeared out of thin air, you know? It wasn't hard to figure out you weren't human with the way you moved and fought. But I… even though you were clearly battling the demon for our sake, I just couldn't comprehend it. That's why I attacked you.

"You could have just killed me so you could focus on the demon. But you didn't –you put yourself in more harm deflecting my attacks and still managing to keep the creature at bay until you could kill it.

"But that's not even the most incredible part. My wife had escaped the burning room but our son had not. I tried to go back inside but the flames were too great and… and I was so afraid. You didn't even hesitate. Even though the fire could have just as easily taken your life as my own, you rushed inside and brought my son to me. You even helped us –me; the man who'd about took your head off as soon as I'd have gotten the chance –find a safe place to hide. You wouldn't even let me thank you properly."

Emily said nothing, her face devoid of all emotion. Darwin was holding his breath.

The man glanced around him at the others. "This girl is far more human than any of us could ever dream to be. And if this vote truly is about whether or not she possesses a threat to us and not to save face as Mr. Holtz suggests, then what other choice is there really?

"I vote nay."

Miraculously, Darwin did not jump in the air and cheer his joy to the world. Though it was a great feat indeed. He glanced over at Emily but she kept up her poker face.

In the mean time, Quinten was looking rather purplish in the face. "Very well, then," he said brusquely. "It's been decided. The vampire will be set free."

He met Darwin's eyes. "Understand, Mr. Holtz –once you leave this building, you leave everything behind. Not just the events from that night but all that has lead up to this point. Your family name will be erased from record, as will the lives of the two Slayers under your care. You can never speak of these persons or events so long as you shall live. The both of you," he added sourly, allow his eyes to glance ever so briefly to Emily then back to Darwin.

Not a problem there.

They were given a half hour to gather what few belongings they possessed and change their clothes to something a bit more appropriate and less bloody and tattered. A taxi would be summoned to take them to the airport where they were required to leave the country –the destination didn't matter so long as they were gone tonight.

Emily was unchained so she could clothe herself but remained under constant guard. Normally Darwin would have protested such a violation of her privacy but they were being allowed to live and he felt now was not the time to push his luck.

"Oye."

Darwin turned at the sound of the familiar voice. His friend the Enforcer was waiting at the end of the hallway near the elevators.

"Good to see ya survived, mate," he said, clapping Darwin roughly against the shoulder.

"Same to you." Then he noticed the bag hanging off the man's shoulder. "You've been sacked?"

He shrugged. "More like 'relocated' -somethin' about me not takin' orders and clobberin' me superiors." The smirk on his face told Darwin he didn't much care about his firing.

"And, um… Mindy? Has there been any change?"

The Enforcer winced and shook his head. "She's got a grandmum in Brittany. They're flying her down here to make the final decision."

Darwin's mouth went dry. He could still remember seeing that poor child's blank expression, the lifelessness of her body in his arms.

"I took the shot, mate," the Enforcer told him.

"Under my order."

"I would've taken that shot no matter what you said, mate. That's the truth."

No it wasn't but Darwin appreciated the sentiment regardless. "I don't even know your proper name," he suddenly realized.

He smirked. "Tannin. Miles Tannin. Look me up if you ever find yourself in another scrap. I get the feelin' you'd be loads of fun to get into trouble with."

A deep pang of sadness spread through Darwin's chest. Only those in that meeting room would ever know what happened that night –in a few moments, Miles Tannin won't even remember Darwin ever existed. A shame, really. In another life they might have been great allies.

Somehow he managed to put on a brave face and smiled at Miles. "Of course." He held out a hand. "I look forward to seeing you again."

They shook hands then Miles moved past them down the hall. From beside him, Emily placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. He gave her a thin smile then proceeded toward the elevators, their less than patient entourage following closely behind.

Philip was in the lobby when Darwin and Emily stepped off. He had a quite a shiner across his jaw from when Miles clocked him. It brought a bit of a smile to Darwin's face.

"Come to say goodbye, Philip? How very charitable of you."

His former mentor shook his head disdainfully. "You're not even the least bit shameful of your actions? Even after receiving the most embarrassing punishment possible?"

Darwin shrugged. "Well, like you always told me, it won't matter because nobody will ever remember my actions or me."

Philip met Darwin's eyes with a hard gaze. "I will certainly be glad to be rid of my memories of you, even at the expense of losing a lifelong friendship with your father."

Even after all the betrayal and anger he felt toward the man before him, Darwin would be lying if he said that comment did not sting a bit. "Goodbye, Philip."

Philip brushed past him and boarded the elevator without so much as a second glance back.

The instant the main doors closed behind the two, there was a slight shaking of the earth below and a strange puff of air from above. Darwin looked up in time to see what looked like a clear ripple erupt from the top of the building and vanish into the sky.

"Well, that's it then," he mused, looking back down at Emily. "We've been officially Forgotten."

"You're the second Watcher that's been Forgotten because of me," Emily pointed out, a smirk on her face.

He frowned. "I was wondering about that. If Zikomo was Forgotten how is it people still know of him?"

"At first everyone did forget him. It wasn't until his granddaughter, Seiko, returned to the shrine years later that she remembered him. The spell couldn't get past the _kekkai_. As for myself… I really don't know. Perhaps the spell doesn't work on supernatural creatures." She glanced back at the building. "What do you suppose they'll do now?"

"Regroup. Change locations. Scramble like mad to get the Slayer back under their thumbs."

"Can they do that?"

"Perhaps. That is, if they're willing to finally change their archaic ways which I sincerely doubt." He shook his head at the thought then pointed at the bag across her shoulder. "I still can't believe they let you keep that."

She touched the strap fondly. "They have no use for a broken sword."

"And you do?"

"I know a slaough demon in Austria that works miracles with blacksmithing. I almost wish it had been inside the building when the _Ad Finem Ultimum_ was cast. If it had vanished, we would have known without a doubt it was the true _Kusanagi no Tsurugi_."

"I've been meaning to ask: how did you know to vacate the building three minutes before the deadline?"

Emily chewed on her lip and self-consciously brushed a strain of hair behind her ear –had she been human, her cheeks probably would have been red. "I, um, I didn't. I sort of… got thrown out a window on the fifth floor. I blacked out just as the light appeared."

Darwin sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. "It's because you don't fight defensively. And I know you do that by choice –no Watcher in his right mind would train you not to defend your own body during a battle. It's something we're going to have to work on."

An awkward silence fell between them now. Darwin supposed he probably shouldn't assume they were going to stay together after all this happened. Really, there wasn't a valid reason other than it was what he wanted.

"So, where do we go from here?" he asked quietly, nervous about her answer.

"I'm going back to LA," Emily told him simply. "I'm going to kill Eve."

His face flushed. It took a few attempts before he could talk again. "But I thought you –you don't know what'll happen to you if you…"

"I don't. But I can't just let her do what she wants. Eve is obsessed with power –she'll never stop until she conquers or destroys everything around her.

"Besides… I can't explain it but it feels like this is how it's meant to be. Like this fight was preordained. This is the only way I'll ever be free of her, however it ends."

In spite of everything he felt Darwin had to agree with that. "I'm coming with you."

She shook her head. "No, it's too dangerous."

Darwin extended a sardonic hand out to her. "Hello, Pot, my name is Kettle –I think we're going to get along quite swimmingly."

She sighed breathlessly. "This is different. I don't know what will happen to me when it's all over. If I turn into a normal vampire then I'll lose my soul. I don't want to be one to end your life."

"My life? In case you weren't paying attention back there, I've got nothing left, not even a name. Forgive me if I want to cling to the only thing I've left in this world for as long as humanly possible."

Emily seemed to consider this for a moment. "If you stay with me, then there's one thing you must promise me." He nodded for her to continue. "If I lose myself, promise me you'll make sure I never hurt anyone."

Darwin laughed, surprising Emily for the very first time. "You know Isabel made me promise the very same thing? Though she was far less polite than you were –I believe the phrase 'or I'll eat your face first' may have escaped her lips."

"And? Did you promise her?"

"I did. The same way I'm promising you now. If I can't help bring you back to yourself, I will do everything in my power to ensure you are not a danger to anyone. Even if it means ending your life with my own hands."

She smiled warmly up at him. "I'll hold you to your word."

He smiled back for a moment then turned serious once more. "I understand you'll have to meet the final confrontation alone but Eve isn't the only thing you'll be facing. Are you certain you're ready?"

Her eyes flickered downward. "Vincent is dead. All that's left is a demon that believes he's my lover."

Neither of them believed the lie but Darwin wasn't crass enough to call her on it. "There is also that small bit about an army. It was pretty large at last check and I imagine it probably hasn't shrunk while we've been gone."

The corner of her mouth rose. "I've been thinking about that, actually. You've inspired me with that water pistol."

He frowned at her and her smirk grew into a conspiratory smile. "How difficult do you think it would be to steal a water tanker truck?" she asked almost innocently.

It didn't take him long to follow her train of thought. "Probably not as difficult as it'll be to convince a priest to bless it."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh so it's up to me then, is it?"

Her shoulders moved up. "You want to come along."

"Oh goodie, another apocalypse. Yay." He clapped his hands together with pseudo enthusiasm. "Where to first, then? Austria to get the sword repaired?"

Emily shook her head. "No, this sword won't help much. They're much too fast, especially Vincent. I almost wish I could bring a gun into the fight –that might even the odds a little."

Darwin tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully. "I think we might be able to come up with something. Unconventionally speaking, of course."

She laughed and for the first time it sounded genuine. "Since when has any of this been conventional?"

Taking up his meager belongings, he and Emily began the long walk down the path toward the waiting taxi out by the front gate.

"I do have one small request," he told her. "In the highly unlikely scenario that we survive this whole ordeal."

"Name it."

"I'm dying to meet this girl that has the Council's knickers in such a twist. She definitely sounds like my kind of Slayer."


	27. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Vi? Andrew? Somebody, please answer the phone! My car broke down and I can't call a tow truck because my phone's about to die… like it just did."

Dawn swore angrily then dropped her head against the steering wheel, jerking back with a startled squeak when she accidentally triggered the horn.

Frustrated and highly annoyed, Dawn shoved open the door and slammed the door viciously behind her once she climbed out.

She glanced around, marking her surroundings. Since the car had been acting kind of funny earlier, she'd thought it would be safer to avoid the freeways and take the surface streets instead. But since it was now night time and she was both car-less and phone-less and all she had going for her was one lone working streetlamp overhead surrounded by forty others not working, the safer thing might've been to just stay home.

"Nothing to the left of me. Nothing to the right of me." She sighed. "Great, just great. Would it kill her to get me a car-charger?"

Dawn glanced across the street. There was an auto-wrecking yard with a light still on in the office. Where there's light, maybe there's a phone.

Throwing one final sneer at the useless car, Dawn crossed the road and slowly approached the metal and glass door. It was still open just a tiny fraction in spite of the large "Sorry We're Closed" hanging there.

"Um, hello?" she called cautiously, pushing open the door. "Is anybody here?"

The light source was easy enough to find; there was one of those old-fashioned green bookkeeping lamps lying on its side on the counter. The glass shade had a large chunk missing, casting a weird spotlight against the opposite wall. Papers littered the floor along with some pens sporting the company's name and a cup that probably housed them at some point.

_Uh-oh. Danger, danger Dawn Summers. Time to bail._

She whirled around and almost smacked right into a guy standing behind her in the doorway. She let out a started yelp and jerked backward.

"Sorry, sorry," the guy said, genuinely apologetic. "You alright?"

"Sure, yeah," she said, voice still high-pitched and hysterical. "I'm sure my heart will start back up any second now."

He let out an uneasy laugh. "Can I help you? We're sort of closed."

"Yeah, I noticed. But my car sorta went to heaven on me and took my phone with it. I saw the light and I was hoping I could use your phone." She gestured toward the floor. "Looks like you had a bit of trouble."

He rolled his eyes, moving away from the door. "Damn stray cat jumped on the counter chasing a mouse or something. I keep telling my boys to quit feeding the stupid thing."

Dawn let out an inward sigh of relief. "Oh. Um, any chance I can use that phone?"

"Of course. I think I saw it in the back. Just wait right here and I'll be back in a jiffy."

She smiled her thanks and watched the worker head through the opposite door and disappear. Trying to shake herself of the jitters still working their way out of her system, she started milling around, looking through the windows, checking out the papers.

Something ran across her feet making her jump. A big gray cat scurried across the floor, stepping lithely across the scattered pages.

"Hey, trouble-maker," Dawn smiled, feeling all the more relieved knowing the guy's cat story was verified.

She watched as the cat moved around the counter and started pawing at something, its tail twitching excitedly. Soon it pulled something thin and stringy free and batted it around, jumping and playing.

_Oh my God, please let that not be a dead rat's tail or a mouse or…_

What the kitty was playing with made little _tic tic tic_ noises whenever the end touched the linoleum floor. The fine hairs on the back of Dawn's neck were standing at attention. Almost on impulse, she slowly approached the cat. Stopping just short of the countertop, she raised herself on her tiptoes and peered over the edge.

What had to be the legitimate worker of this wrecking yard was lying on the floor. Or, more accurately, his body with a bloody bite taken out of his throat. There was no mistaking what made that wound.

"You know what they say, kid."

Dawn jerked around. The very helpful worker was back, holding the cordless phone in his fist. He looked the same as he had before he left.

Except of course for the bumpy forehead, yellow eyes and sharp pointy teeth.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Dawn make a break for the door. With a snarl, the vampire lurched forward and grabbed hold of her. She screamed loudly as he hurled her back against the counter. The vampire was on her before she could move, ripping the collar of her shirt for better access to her neck.

She struggled against his hold, futilely, screaming her head off. Her hand groped around for something –anything –and came to rest on the broken lamp. Quickly, she brought it up and smashed it into the side of his head. Glass shattered and the vampire pulled back, shaking shards free from his face.

The vamp was blocking the door so Dawn bolted out the back way, heading into the yard outside. There were over-head lights casting enough light for her to navigate her way between stacks of cars.

She made it to the back gate but it was chained up. She shook and kicked and pounded against it but it wouldn't budge.

Suddenly, she was hoisted up off her feet and hurled through the air. She hit a car stack and crumpled to the ground with a cry. Fire blazed through her arm and she glanced down to see a thick line of blood seeping through a fresh tear in her shirt.

A growl caught her attention. The vampire was already beginning to stalk toward her, a grotesque smile played across his lips, the surety of his kill already in his mind.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you?"

The vampire and Dawn turned toward the new voice. A girl stood a few yards back, arms crossed over her chest, glowering at the vampire. She wore all black down to her shoes which had soles so thick they had to weigh at least five or ten pounds apiece. She looked young –like way younger than Dawn.

But from the way she was staring the vampire down, clearly age was not a factor for her.

"Good dogs don't bite."

"Well, well, well," the vampire crooned, eyeing the newcomer appreciatively. "Looks like I got the two for one special."

"More like you're biting off more than you can chew," she countered, not backing down as the vampire walked up to her.

"We'll see about that." He reached for the girl.

Big mistake.

The girl moved like a blur, slapping his hand away and spinning into a hook kick aimed right at the vampire's temple. The force knocked the vampire back several steps but before he even had a chance to recover, the girl was in the air, bringing her foot up into a jump-front-kick square into his chest.

The vampire stumbled, his back hitting a pile of spare parts. Roaring in rage, he picked up a twisted metal something and hurled it at the girl. She couldn't dodge the blow; only keep the metal from hitting her face by bringing up her arms.

He was right on top of her now, driving a fist into her stomach. She doubled over and the vampire brought another fist across her jaw, moving her a few steps back.

Dawn was about to do something –call for help, throw one of these parts, something –but before she could figure out what that would be, the girl was on the offensive again.

She kicked out but the vampire caught her foot under his arm, a cocky grin on his face. Then the girl flashed her own smile and threw herself upward. The foot that had been on the ground supporting her weight was now deeply imbedded in the side of the vampire's face.

Reaching behind her back, the girl pulled out a stake and expertly plunged it deep into the vampire's chest. He had about half a second to stare down at the stake protruding out before he burst into ash.

Wow. Okay from the total smack down this chick laid out on that vamp, she had to be a Slayer –one of the new ones Called thanks to Willow's spell. But what was she doing here of all places?

The girl patted some dust from her clothes then moved over to where Dawn was still crouched. "You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks. Those were some killer moves. You must be –"

Before Dawn even finished her sentence, two more vampires seemed to just appear out of nowhere –another guy vamp only much bigger and a blond she-vamp dressed in tight leather. Dawn tried to shout a warning to the girl but she wasn't quick enough.

The male vampire snapped the girl's neck. Her head flopped to the side and she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. It was such a shock, Dawn didn't even scream, she just stared down at the dead girl. The whole thing didn't even feel real –she was so alive not even five minutes ago! And Dawn could've sworn she saw her eyes blink.

But there really wasn't time to dwell on that. The two new vampires were already closing in on Dawn, favoring a fresh kill.

_Whap_!

Both vamps went careening into a car, smashing in the roof and through the windshield.

"That _really_ hurt," the girl growled, swinging the metal bumper she'd used as a baseball bat to send those creeps flying.

_Wait a… wasn't she sorta dead_?

The vamps climbed off and out of the car and rushed the not-so-dead girl. She used the bumper like a bo staff, knocking blows away and clocking the vamps pretty good square in their faces and chests.

The guy vampire managed to catch the bumper and wretched it from the girl's grasp. Forgoing her last-minute weapon, she rushed full throttle at the vamp. She leapt into the air, sailing up and over the stupefied demon and landed soundlessly behind him. Throwing her leg out, she landed a solid kick to his back, knocking him into she-vamp.

The girl picked up a rusty hubcap and rushed forward, slashing the metal disk through the air.

Two heads burst into ashes on the ground. Two bodies followed soon after.

Dawn was completely mesmerized. The girl that was supposed to be dead was rubbing her neck, wincing. Her head still didn't sit right on her shoulders.

"Well, that was riveting," came a new voice sarcastically from the shadows.

For a second, Dawn thought it was Giles –the voice had a similar accent –but it couldn't be him. He and Buffy were still in England with Willow, Kennedy and Xander.

A man came into view, roughly the same age as Giles give or take a wrinkle or two. He too wore all black and carried a small leather bag.

"I thought you were going to wait in the car," the girl said, anger or annoyance coloring her tone. Or possibly pain –her neck still didn't look healthy.

"And miss your wonderful performance? Perish the thought."

"You could have warned me there were more than one."

"First of all, you rushed off without even bothering to survey the area and properly prepare a line of attack…again. And secondly, you should've assumed there would be others. Vampires rarely hunt alone nowadays –an excess of predators makes prey stick together. You of all people should realize this."

"Can you lecture me _after_ fixing my neck?"

"I don't know –this is really the only time you'll pay attention to my critique."

"_Doc_!" she practically growled the word at him.

"Alright, alright. Give us a look."

The British dude stepped up to the girl, lowering his leather bag to the ground. Pulling a penlight from his pocket, he shined it on her neck, examining it from every angle he could.

"Well, you certainly let them do a number on you. This is the worst trachea break I've seen on you yet –I'm surprised you can even talk right now." He clicked the light off then put the pen back in his pocket. "You should've simply finished them off and forgone all the theatrics."

"I couldn't use the _Firestarter_ with all this metal –a ricochet would have been dangerous."

"Fair enough. Does it hurt much?"

Dawn could feel the girl's glare from here.

Without warning, the guy grabbed hold of her face and jerked her head to the side. A sickening _pop_ bounced against the metal cars, making Dawn's stomach churn uncomfortably. Again, she was convinced she'd just witnessed the death of this girl but she merely rolled her head from side to side, popping it a few more times.

"_Daijobu_?" the man asked.

"_Genki_ _deshou_," she replied, giving her neck a final pop back into place.

Okay, now what the heck was going on? Whatever language they were speaking sounded a lot like those cartoons Xander and Andrew always watched –the ones with subtitles. Japanese, Chinese –something with an "ese" right?

"_Kore wa tekisetsuna bashodesu ka_?" the girl asked, glancing around with a skeptical expression.

"_Wakaranai_," the man replied with a shrug. "_Dakedo, anata no aniki wa sono_ –"

"Don't call him that," the girl suddenly snapped in English.

The man sighed demonstrating that this was an old topic of conversation. "You're going to have to come to terms with it sooner or later."

"Do we really have to talk about this now?"

"No need to be snippy." He raised an eyebrow at her, surprisingly confident considering she could probably snap him in half if she wanted to. And from the glare she was throwing him, it looked like she wanted to.

"_Jigoku ni ochiro_," she shot at him.

"Now, now, none of that. You're being very rude in front of our guest."

Uh-oh.

They both turned toward Dawn. She thought about making a run for it. But where? To die in her very dead car clutching her very dead phone in her very dead hand? Besides, it could be possible that there were some people on this planet that _didn't_ want to kill her. Law of probability, right?

…right?

The tall English man moved toward her and she flinched back, afraid.

"It's alright, my dear," he assured her in a soothing voice. "I just want to have a look at that nasty gash in your arm, if you'll let me."

Gash? Oh, right, from getting thrown into the car. She'd forgotten all about it… until he mentioned it.

"Ow," Dawn complained, looking down at her arm. The blood had already stained almost down to her wrist.

"May I?"

Well, they did sort of save her life –at least the girl did –and this guy didn't seem to be of otherworldly origins.

He waited until Dawn held her arm out to him before touching her. He peeled her sleeve up and exposed the reddened flesh beneath.

"It's not as bad as it seems." He smiled up at Dawn then glanced over her shoulder at the other girl. "My bag, please."

She tossed the small leather bag down beside him. He pulled out one of those packaged antiseptic whips she'd seen doctors use just before giving you a shot.

"Sorry –this will sting a bit, bear with me."

It did sting but it wasn't any worse than all the other times she'd been patched up.

Once the wound was disinfected he put a non-stick bandage against it and wrapped half a roll of gauze around it to keep it in place.

"There we are," he said, as he finished putting tape to the bandage. "You might want to schedule an appointment with your regular doctor and get a tetanus shot just to be on the safe side. Can't imagine what sorts of things are growing on all these unprotected vehicles. You weren't hurt anywhere else, were you?"

She shook her head. "No."

"What's your name, if I may ask?"

"_Dawn_!"

Dawn wasn't the one who answered. From over the man's shoulder, Dawn spotted Buffy jogging toward them with Willow and Giles trailing behind.

"Buffy?" The British guy lend Dawn a hand to her feet. "I didn't know you guys were back."

"We landed a little while ago –checked the messages. Xander and Kennedy are by your car now. What happened; are you okay?" Her eyes bulged just a little at the bandage around Dawn's arm.

"I'm fine. There were these vamps but –"

"Vampires?" Buffy interrupted, totally overreacting as usual.

"I'm _fine_," she re-emphasized for her worry-wart-sister. She waved a hand at the two behind her. "These guys, well, they saved me."

Buffy, Willow and Giles watched the strangers as they approached, Buffy a wee bit guarded and moving to stand in front of Dawn. Again, so overreacting.

"You're Buffy Summers?" the man asked while the girl hung back a few paces, watching Buffy and the gang with a wary expression of her own.

Buffy did her Slayer assess thing –sizing the guy up with a look, seeing whether or not he was a threat –before she finally answered. "That's what they call me. What do they call you?"

The man gave a nervous laugh, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, yes, how rude of me. Forgive me, but, well, I am a bit star-struck. You can't imagine how long I've waited to meet you."

"Great?" Buffy made it a question, furrowing her brows at this guy with an is-he-an-escaped-mental-patient kind of look.

Another laugh, then he cleared his throat and gestured toward the girl standing off to the side. "Allow me to introduce my companion. I ask for your understanding before you rush to judgment, although from what I've been told you show quite a bit of patience when it comes to those as unique as she.

"This is Emily."

Dawn didn't understand the strange look that passed between her sister and the others. They were staring at the girl like she'd just sprouted wings or something.

The man stepped up to Buffy and extended a hand. "And my name is Dr. Darwin Brown. It is an absolute honor to meet you."

The instant the man introduced himself, Willow rushed forward, wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug.

The End

Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone who stuck through to the end. This story turned out way better than how I'd envisioned it in my head… um… you know what I mean. My only regret is that I forgot British people call elevators "lifts". Darn it. XP

Now all that's left is to read Season 8 and see how much of the original story I messed up. Yay! *sarcastic thumbs-up*

*puts BTVS characters back on Joss Whedon's shelf*

Thanks again

SMG


End file.
